Institutionalized
by Hellvetica
Summary: It's the 1980's and Miroku can't seem to stop getting into trouble. It all started with one can of spray paint mixed with Generation X angst and a penchant for heavy metal, booze, and babes. Then Miroku met Sango: the most bodacious babe of them all. Can Miroku get the girl before it's too late? [AU] [Rated "R" for salty language and adult situations]
1. Detained

**"Institutionalized" - An Inuyasha Fanfiction**

Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own anything, blah blah blah, Inuyasha is the intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi...so on and so forth, I make no money from this fanwork. Etc. etc.

Now that that jargon is out of the way, let's get to the story already.

Chapter 1: Detained

" _They give you a white shirt with long sleeves  
Tied around you're back, you're treated like thieves  
Drug you up because they're lazy  
It's too much work to help a crazy" _  
**Suicidal Tendencies- Institutionalized**

 **San Diego, California, 1985**

He was always morbidly curious as to what the back of a police cruiser felt like, he didn't expect it to be quite like this. Funny, he always imagined it would smell more like vomit and piss. It still smelled like vomit and piss although the smell was very faint. Thankfully, the little tree air freshener in the rear-view mirror was doing a pretty good job of masking it. Miroku sighed, here it was 3am on a Saturday and while his band mates made a hasty retreat from under the bridge, he was left behind with the can of red spray paint firmly clutched in his right hand. Bad enough that his parents already considered him a fuck-up for never applying to college or getting a job after High School. Add to the fact that he spent most days staying up late, jerking it, or drawing heavy metal logos in a notebook for a band that probably will never make it anywhere (well according to his dad at least). Maybe heavy metal was just his way of rebelling against his stuffy uptight parents who never quite understood him. They were traditional, he was modern. Even though his parents would never admit it, the high expectations they had for their son were pretty much doomed from the moment he brought home a Black Sabbath cassette.

Although he and his younger sister Rin were born here, his parents faced many hardships for the so-called "American Dream". In the sixties they had left Japan for California, a young couple very much in love looking for a bright future in a foreign land far from home. Within just a few years the couple started a family consisting of a son and a daughter. His mother was a housewife and his father a claims adjuster for a pretty big insurance firm despite prejudices that still lingered from a postwar America. His parents really wanted nothing but the best for him and his younger sister even if it meant sucking the fun out of every second of his childhood. It was always, stand up straight, tuck in your shirt, wipe that grin off of your face. Hardly ever did he hear the words. "Well done son!" or "That's my Boy!" like any other normal child would hear from their parents. Nope, screw that! His parents didn't know the meaning of the word praise, with them it was always "Try harder" or "Why have you messed up"

For his parents, it was really too bad all their high expectations for their only son backfired in the worst way possible.

Miroku remembered being around six years old when his dad gave him a violin, expecting him to practice until he became some kind of prodigy. That never happened. Although he was skilled, he lacked the passion to continue. It was then a fed-up twelve year old Miroku decided to ditch the violin and go to an instrument that daddy would definitely not approve of; the electric guitar. He remembered seeing it hung high on the wall of the music shop, a flashy black and white Gibson flying V. He knew he had to have it. Thoughts of that beautiful hunk of wood, metal, and strings consumed his mind. Only one problem, how was he ever going to afford the price tag? Was he going to get a summer job mowing lawns or cleaning out gutters? Nah, that wasn't his style. There was another, more thrilling way to get the cash he so desperately needed, he would gamble for it.

Miroku started out small, games of dice near the blacktop at his middle school and eventually moved to card games like poker and gin rummy. Luck was definitely on his side because within less than four months he had raked in enough cash to buy his dream machine. When Miroku first held the guitar in his hands, he felt like King Arthur pulling Excalibur out of the stone, the guitar begging him to play her. He couldn't believe it was finally his!

Twelve year-old Miroku straightened his KISS army belt buckle before slinging the guitar strap over his shoulder. He'll never forget the horrified look on his dad's face when he brought the instrument home that chilly October night.

Yep, music was Miroku's calling and seven years later at age nineteen his passion had still not diminished in the slightest. If anything it got bigger as delusions of grandeur swam around in his mind. Miroku the badass rock-star with a Hollywood Hills mansion, lots of beautiful women at his beck and call, and a fat cat MTV promo with royalties from his platinum debut album coming out of the wazoo.

Outside of the police cruiser the officer shone his flashlight into the window where Miroku was handcuffed.

"Alright kid, time to go down to the station, don't even think of trying anything stupid."

The officer flicked his cigarette butt on the pavement as he jostled his way into the driver's seat. Miroku could only sigh some more. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

[A/N] 1st chapter done! This story idea was coined up on a whim while I was sitting on the couch eating dry fruity pebbles watching VH1 classic's late night video block. I've always adored everything about the 1980's, especially the metalhead subculture of that time and Inuyasha happens to be my favorite anime (although truth be told I've always been more of a fan of the "B" team than the Inu/Kag dynamic hence why my story focuses attention on Miroku rather than IY.) so what the heck, why not write something combining the two? I'm going to try to make this story as an authentic testament to the 1980's as possible, despite the fact that I was reluctantly born in 1992. **hangs head in shame.** Anyways, this is my first foray into fanfiction and an AU fanfiction at that. I got to tell you though, it's pretty tough keeping up with canon in this universe but I'm going to try my best and hope that everything is at least somewhat coherent. With that said and done, I will eventually post chapter 2 which will be a lot longer than this one, I like short chapters can't you tell? However, I must warn you that I am a lazy POS with a tendency to procrastinate, so yeah. Take that as you will. ***UPDATE 5/27/15 - I fixed my formatting on chapters 1 and 2. My old double-spacing style was just not doing it for me at ALL. ***


	2. Judgment Day

Chapter 2: Judgment Day

Three weeks after the spray paint incident under the bridge Miroku was issued a court summons. He hung his head nervously as he scuffed his way into the courthouse. Begrudgingly, his father had accompanied him, neither of them saying a word to each other from the car-ride onward. Miroku straightened his tie as he looked around the large lobby of the courthouse, it was pretty much barren at this time of day. Completely empty except him, his father, and a couple of people standing in line at the courtesy window to get documentation. There were also some women at the help desk whom he could assume were receptionists. Nothing special to look at there. One of the ladies was middle aged, overweight, with horribly dyed red hair. Noticeable gray streaks were peppered throughout her over-teased, ''I used an entire can of Aqua-Net'' dry locks. She was busy on the phone bantering with someone who obviously was not in the mood for any kind of legal shenanigans. The other receptionist at the desk was much younger with permed light brown hair and a rather ample bosom with cleavage that refused to stay hidden behind a delicate white lace camisole, paired under a matching blouse, and a shoulder-padded mauve velveteen blazer. As nice as her tits were; her face left much to be desired with a nose too long for her face shape, lips too thin, and beady green eyes that had a murky hue to them reminiscent of swamp marsh.

 _What a waste,_ Miroku thought to himself.

Miroku sat down next to his father in one of the baby-barf green lobby chairs. Silence was still rearing it's ugly head. Then again, he could only imagine how disappointed his old man was with him. In fact, he considered himself lucky in the regards that his old man was a very level-headed sort of person. Unlike his mother who was ready to murder him with a soup ladle when he returned from jail. Luckily, she always was the forgiving type. Any other parents might have kicked him out of the house indefinitely; especially since he was not considered a minor anymore. This place was seriously trying his patience. In between getting the silent treatment from his father, the annoying elevator muzak playing softly over the speakers, and most importantly the lack of anything available for him to entertain himself with. At least other places had old magazines on a table somewhere. The only things of any interest in this pit were two vending machines in the corner, one had snack items in it and the other soda. His boredom was giving him the munchies. At that time he wished he would have brought in some of the spare change he kept in his Camaro.

His father finally broke the silence.

"I thought I told you to cut your hair." his father growled, his hand skimmed over Miroku's short jet-black ponytail.

Miroku cocked his head away from his dad's hand, he was definitely not in the mood for one of his dad's "reasons why you are a terrible son" rants.

"I already told you, nobody touches my hair, especially not that half-assed senile excuse for a barber you go to."

"You look like a delinquent! First it was the earrings, then the spikes, and now this ponytail. Why must you constantly embarrass me out in public?"

Miroku scoffed. "Is that all you have to say?"

The silence between them became apparent once again.

Hours passed as Miroku patiently waited for his name to be called. In the meantime he had found a rubber band that one of the receptionists must have dropped. He spent a couple of minutes fidgeting with it, making the Batmobile and a star which were pretty much the only rubber band tricks he remembered how to do from elementary school. Then the rubber band snapped in two, successfully ending his only form of entertainment in this suck-ass place. He didn't even bother picking the rubber band remains up from the floor. Time dragged on. The muzak was finally starting to grow on him for some unexplained reason. He cocked his head back and slowly dozed off thinking of how good a plate of Belgian waffles with strawberry syrup sounded right now. His bout of slumber didn't last long as he could hear the tapping of high heels coming closer towards him.

"Miroku Hoshima" A nasally yet oddly feminine voice called out.

"Judge Kleburne would like to see you now."

Miroku and his father rose out of their seats; following the woman to their assigned courtroom.

Miroku let out another sigh "Let's just get this over with."

The courtroom was smaller than he originally thought it was going to be. He expected the space to be much bigger like in the courtroom reality shows that would come on TV. He smiled remembering that Rin really hated those kind of shows. So, to tease her he would hog the remote from her. It was so cute the way her face got red and her cheeks puffed like a chipmunk. Then she would scream for mom or dad and that was usually Miroku's cue to go back to his own TV in his room.

 _Girls are so much fun to tease_ , he silently mused.

Miroku stood up straight, his eyes on Judge Julius Kleburne. Judge Kleburne was a tall, husky man most likely in his mid-sixties. His dark skin was marred with liver-spots and he sported a semi-bald head with two white puffs of hair at each ear. This man had obviously seen better days judging by the scowl on his face. Miroku gulped. He feared the worst.

The judge started to speak. "Miroku Hoshima, you have pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of vandalism."

Miroku tried his best to not take his eyes off the judge while the judge contemplated on his sentence.

"Alright Mr. Spray-Can here's what we are going to do. Unlike a lot of my fellow judges I am a firm believer that the youth of today can be redeemed, after all you are only young once and this just so happens to be your first offense. So Instead of sending you to jail where you will most likely become more of a punk, I'm going to send you somewhere you will definitely not want to act a fool. My sentence for you is to spend the next three months in mandatory community service doing janitorial work at a mental health facility. You want to act like a crazy person, you can work with the crazy people."

"Now before I dismiss the court, I would like to point out that If I ever catch you in my courtroom again Mr. Hoshima, you will go to jail."

Judge Kleburne slammed his gavel.

Miroku unclasped his sweaty palms as he and his father slowly exited the courtroom, both men were extremely relieved that Jail-time was not in Miroku's future.

When Miroku got home, he looked over the paperwork explaining the details of his sentence. He was to spend every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for three months at a facility called ''Silent Pines'' he snorted with laughter at that cornball name. It sounded like something out of a really bad comedy starring Chevy Chase. Of course the sentence meant that he couldn't practice with the guys at Jimmy's house. Jimmy McSpadden was the band's vocalist; Miroku considered Jimmy like a brother of sorts due to the fact they practically grew up together. Not practicing for a while was just fine with him. Miroku considered the band losing practice time from their lead guitarist perfect karma for ditching him at the bridge three weeks ago. Miroku sat the stack of papers down on his bed as he undressed out of the stuffy yuppie clothes he had to wear to the trial. He leaned forward and picked up his jeans off the floor and gave them a quick whiff, still clean. But something was missing, he glanced over his shoulder to see his bullet belt with the skull buckle dangling on his dresser. Once he got his jeans and belt on he walked to his closet and pulled out a fresh black band shirt. Today's choice was a fairly new Anthrax shirt that was begging to be worn-in. He pulled his toned arms into the sleeves of his t-shirt as he yanked it over his head. Then Miroku dug in the back of his closet, feeling around for his much loved battle jacket. He soon felt the familiar edge of the spikes on the lapel. Ah, there it was! Apparently still well hidden from his mom's grabby hands. It will be a cold day in Hell before he allowed her to clean his baby with that beastly washing machine. What part of **HAND WASH ONLY** did she not understand? Rin liked to call it his ''smelly hobo biker vest'' on account of all of the patches, buttons, studs and spikes he had lovingly tacked and sewn on the now-faded denim. Some of his favorite patches being his Slayer centerpiece back-patch, a rare Judas Priest patch he got off of his drummer Stony Sanchez, and the Mercyful Fate patch he had McSpadden pick up for him last summer on a family trip to Edinburgh, Scotland among other assorted patches that were hard to find in the states. He quickly adjusted his vest on his body. Yep, this felt so righteous.

Miroku plopped down on his waterbed enjoying the swishy sounds it made as he reached for the phone on his nightstand. Thank Buddha his parents installed extra phone lines, the last thing he needed was to fight with Rin over phone privileges. He knew how girls, especially preteen girls such as Rin were when it came to phone calls. He picked up the phone and began to dial Jimmy.

Jimmy answered on the other end. "McSpadden's Mortuary, you stab 'em we bag em."

"Hey Jimmy it's Miroku."

"Whassup man, how have you been? How was court, you going to go to jail?" Jimmy replied.

"Not even, I got off with community service, Shit blows."

"For how long?"

"Three months dude. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday I have to ''volunteer'' at this bunk-ass mental facility."

"That's pretty harsh man, well I guess It's better than Jail right?"

"Yeah, I guess so, I mean three months at a crazy house vs who knows how long in a cold cell crammed with other guys and cold tasteless food, I believe I lucked out on that one huh?"

Jimmy laughed. "Hells yeah you did! And besides it's only three months...It will all be over before you know it."

Jimmy and Miroku proceeded into their conversation, eventually talking about the band's practice schedule and supplies they will need for a breakout gig they were hoping to score from one of the local venues around town. So far they had been less than successful. The only other option was to enter a battle of the bands contest at a nightclub called the Meridian where all of the wavers and goth chicks hung out at. It wasn't really their first choice of venue but the band realized that beggars can't be choosers and that they would be happy to take what they could get, If they could even get it. Miroku stretched out his legs and let out a deep yawn. Waking up at 7am on a Tuesday and spending 4 hours in court was definitely not his style. Miroku said his goodbyes to Jimmy on the other end and proceeded to crawl under his blankets for a restful sleep, knowing full well that it would be tomorrow morning when he eventually decided to wake up. He could hear Rin in her bedroom next door singing at the top of her lungs to a Cyndi Lauper song on full blast. He tapped loudly on the wall in between their rooms.

"Hey cut it out, I'm trying to get some sleep!" he yelled loud enough so she could hear him.

Rin only turned the music up louder. Miroku grabbed his pillow and covered his ears with it, no use fighting it now. The last thing he wanted was an angry Rin in his room. Minutes later his exhausted, sleep deprived, body finally took over and he dozed off into dreamland. He was still thinking of those Belgian Waffles.

That following Thursday Miroku woke up at 5:30 am. He hadn't woken up that early since he was still in High School. He scrambled out of bed to get dressed and grab a cup of coffee downstairs. After all, in just two and a half short hours ''Silent Pines'' would be waiting for him. He flipped on the TV to see what the local news had to say about traffic and to ogle Channel 8's really cute weather girl. So far it was the usual same old bullshit, traffic backed up on IH 805 because some dickweed was in too much of a hurry. Already he was wired on too much coffee so he decided to relax a bit. Miroku reached under his bed and grabbed a small rusted-out tin Star Wars lunch box. The box held his stash inside. He walked over to the window and lit some incense, hoping like hell that his parents would think that he was only meditating and that the smell of reefer mixed with sandalwood wouldn't tip them off. He stuffed his marbled glass hash pipe, lit it, and took a couple of hits. After he was finished he lay back on his bed with his headphones on admiring the numerous band posters and pinups of bikini-clad babes on his wall. Before he knew it his high had worn off and it was nearly time to go. Miroku grabbed his keys off his dresser. He also made sure to put on the fingerless black leather glove he used to cover the hideous birthmark on his right hand. Miroku walked outside to find his Camaro waiting for him on the curb. He sat in the driver's seat muttering "It's only for three months, It's only for three months" under his breath as he started the car and drove into the neighborhood.

* * *

[A/N] Whew, that was a tough one to write. Didn't I tell you this chapter would be a lot longer? Anyways, I researched hard for this chapter as I managed to find an 80's slang dictionary online, come to find out that a lot of the terms in it are still used today. Who Knew? Anyways for the younger readers out there I'm more than happy to supply definitions for most of the 80's centric terms used in this chapter, I will be doing the same for the other chapters to come as well.

 **Aqua Net** \- A brand of hairspray that had it's heyday in the 80's. Mostly used by people with massive perms and goths.

 **Muzak** \- The really boring music you hear in elevators, waiting rooms, or while on hold. It was really popular for public places to play this in the 70's and 80's

 **Yuppie** \- Stands for ''Young Urban Professional'' Think Patrick Bateman from ''American Psycho''

 **Battle Jacket or ''Kutte''** \- A wardrobe staple of the metalhead of yesterday and today. Usually some kind of denim vest decorated to the nines in band patches, spikes/studs, and pins.

 **Wavers** \- 80's slang for the scenesters of the New Wave movement. Think of Molly Ringwald's character in ''Pretty in Pink''

I hope this was at least of some use to you if you found yourself confused. ***UPDATE 5/27/15 - I fixed my formatting on chapters 1 and 2. My old double-spacing style was just not doing it for me at ALL. *  
**

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: The Smiths- Frankly Mr. Shankly**

 **Track 2: The Cramps- Garbageman**

 **Track 3: Black Sabbath- Sweet Leaf**


	3. April 11th

Chapter 3: April 11th

 _ **Honolulu, Hawaii, 1979** _

_Twelve year-old Sango Sato held her father's hand tightly as she watched the firefighters work on what once had been her family's home. Her face ashen and sooty, her clothes didn't fare much better. She looked down to her right, her seven year-old brother, Kohaku was screaming bloody murder. His little hands firmly gripped to their father's left pant leg._

 _ **''MOMMY, I WANT MY MOMMY!''**_

 _Sango released her hold on her father's hand, instead opting to cradle the distraught boy in her arms. Tears welled down her face. He did not know, he did not know that mommy was never coming back._

 _Sango knew though, she saw everything. She heard everything. She heard the window break. She heard the heavy boots of a stranger enter her home. She heard her mother scream. She saw him, she saw him pin her mother down, she saw him writhe on top of her defenseless mother; his hand cupped over her mouth as he lifted the hem of her dress, parting her legs. She saw her mother being raped. Sango tiptoed past the scene, making as little noise as possible not to tip the intruder off. She inched her way into her little brother's room. he was thankfully, still sleeping. Trying her best not to shake him around too much she carefully lifted him off the bed and into the closet. She carefully wedged herself into the closet as well, locking it from the inside with a coat hanger. She hoped like hell the intruder would not find their hiding place._

 _Then she heard the gunshot._

 _Kohaku awoke from his slumber._

 _''Sister, why are we in the closet? What was that noise?''_

 _Sango held her brother tight. ''Keep your voice down.'' she whispered._

 _The heavy footsteps got louder and closer. The intruder was in the room, only mere inches away from the closet._

 _Sango held her breath; Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest._

 _She heard the footsteps leave the room; The bad man was gone._

 _Sango and Kohaku remained in the closet. Then they smelled the smoke seeping through the crack of the door. That could only have meant one thing, their house was on fire. Sango touched the doorknob, thankfully, it wasn't hot, at least not yet. She carefully unlocked the door and peered out. Smoke was everywhere. She knew that she and Kohaku had to escape, and fast. She ducked her head and body out of the closet; grabbing his hand tightly._

 _''Kohaku, whatever you do, do not let go of my hand. Do you understand?''_

 _Kohaku nodded._

 _''Close your eyes Kohaku. Do not open them until we get out of the house''_

 _Sango did not want to have her brother see anything that would scar him for life. She pulled Kohaku along as she ran, heading for the side door adjacent to the kitchen. Then she saw it, Sango's body froze in terror._

 _On the kitchen floor lay their mother in a puddle of blood; her head split open from the gunshot they heard earlier. The strands of her long dark brown hair were completely soaked in blood. Her big brown eyes, once full of life were glassed over. Her mouth was agape. She was gone forever. While the flames in the rest of the house were rising so was Sango's anger. What kind of sick monster would do that to her mother? Her kind, sweet, gentle mother. Kohaku started to cough. Not_ wasting _any more time, Sango bolted out of the door. She skimmed the backyard for any sign of the intruder; he was nowhere to be found. She ran until she reached the back fence hoisting Kohaku over it. Sango did not look back as she placed her feet in the metal links to climb over the fence. Once on the other side she frantically ran to their next-door neighbor's front porch with Kohaku in tow. He opened his mouth to speak._

 _''Sister, Can I open my eyes now?''_

 _''yes, Kohaku, It's okay now.''_

 _Although it really wasn't okay in the least bit. The flames had already engulfed an entire side of their home and were quickly spreading. Kohaku knocked on the neighbor's door. The elderly man answered, saw the house on fire. There was panic behind his aged black eyes. He quickly motioned for the two kids to get inside. The elderly man called the fire department, then the kids' father, who was on duty at the police station. Both parties arrived at breakneck speed. The last thing Sango remembered of that fateful night was getting into her dad's police cruiser and never returning back._

* * *

That was six years ago today. In the month of April, on the eleventh day. Sango however, remembered it like it was yesterday. April 11th, how she hated this day; she would rather it didn't exist.

Sango sat on her bed with her knees tucked into her chest. Her mind tried thinking of other things like how her final exams would be coming up on her very soon and how much she needed to study. After all, she was eighteen, a senior, and a prime candidate for valedictorian at her high school.

Sango rose off of her bed, lazily smoothing out her duvet and sheets. Her little cat, Kirara, was curled in the corner of the bed, sound asleep. Right now she envied that lucky, lazy, cat. How she wanted to just stay home today and do nothing but sleep all day. But alas, she couldn't. She needed that perfect attendance streak on her record if she was to get into a decent Law program at her university of choice. She wanted to become an attorney. Although normally she was introverted and kind of quiet, she considered herself an excellent debater. She had the medals and trophies from numerous debate tournaments to prove it too. Sango really had a knack for arguing; her father would always tease her about that, claiming that the reason she never really had a serious boyfriend was because she would argue them to death. She let out a small chuckle; maybe he was right.

Sango, still partly asleep, walked into her bathroom. Her hand turned the cold water knob on the sink to brush her teeth and scrub her face. She grabbed her toothbrush and slathered it with toothpaste, brushing in a circular motion on her front teeth, bottom teeth, and molars, and tongue; spitting the toothpaste out in the sink when done. Picking up the soft chenille washcloth, she grabbed her favorite facial scrub and washed her face. She noticed the huge zit she had on her forehead under her bangs was finally clearing up. Thank God, the little bugger had been driving her nuts for nearly two weeks. She grabbed the handle of the drawer under the sink that held her cosmetics and toiletries. Feeling her hand around in the drawer she found what she was looking for; her mascara and eye shadow palette. Sango really wasn't the type of girl who wore a lot of makeup, she hated lipstick. It felt like wearing candle wax to her. And when she wore foundation and blush she felt like a clown. Her eyelashes were already long so she opted to use minimal mascara with only a touch of coral colored eye shadow on her eyelids.

''Now where is that damn brush hiding at?'' she huffed.

Spotting her brush sitting on the back of her toilet, Sango started to brush her long, dark chestnut brown hair. She held a small elastic pony-holder in her mouth so she wouldn't lose it down the sink. She pulled her hair back into a high ponytail securing it with the elastic and finally, a white ribbon. She took one last look in the mirror to make sure her hair and makeup looked okay.

Quickly, she undressed out of her pajamas and grabbed a clean pair of pink panties and a clean bra from the drawer, eventually tossing her previously worn undergarments on the bathroom floor. She would deal with those later. Right now she had to get dressed for school. Her school uniform was hanging off the back of her bedroom door. It was a pretty okay uniform, nothing special. Her uniform consisted of a white short-sleeve peter-pan collared blouse with a skinny blue ribbon to tie under the collar for decoration, a black sweater-vest with her school's emblem just above the right breast, and lastly a greyish-blue above-the-knee length plaid skirt paired with white knee socks and black penny-loafers.

Sango slid into her clean panties and fastened her bra in the back. Then came the uniform. First, she put on a plain white camisole to go under the blouse, then the blouse itself. Following the blouse came the skirt and sweater-vest. Next were her socks and shoes, then finally the skinny blue ribbon under the collar of her blouse.

Sometimes Sango envied the students who went to the public schools without a strict dress code, Although her uniform was nice, it was really annoying sometimes, especially when it happened to be a fairly windy day. She would spend most of her time trying to hold her skirt down from flying up, revealing her panties. Then she realized she _chose_ to go to an all-girls Catholic high school only because Saint Catherine's had some of the best academic programs this side of San Diego.

Aside from that Sango wasn't religious, not even in the slightest sense. Her father was a terrible Catholic, it had been at least a decade since he attended mass or any church function. He never really forced religion on her and Kohaku. Frankly, she liked it better that way.

Sango looked down at her clock-radio, it was already 6:30 am. ''Good, that means I still have plenty of time to make breakfast before dad and Kohaku leave.''

She grabbed her leather backpack satchel off of her doorknob as she walked the way from her bedroom, down the hall, into the kitchen. Dad and Kohaku were already at the table predictably waiting for her slowpoke butt to start working on making breakfast. She rushed over to the coffee pot on the counter and poured her dad a cup of coffee, making sure not to spill it. She had a tendency to fill the cup just a tad bit too full.

''Thanks sweetie.'' her dad said, setting down the newspaper he was reading to take a sip of the freshly-poured cup of joe.

Sango glanced over at her brother who was nervously trying to finish his math homework from last night before the school bus arrived.

''You still want pancakes, Kohaku?'' Sango asked.

Kohaku nodded, making an inaudible grunt of sorts.

Sango's eyes narrowed. ''I'll take that as a yes.''

She began to mix a couple of eggs into the pancake batter: not before making sure the griddle was heating up just right. Taking a rubber spatula, she measured out eight even discs of batter on the griddle's surface. She carefully flipped them until they were evenly golden on both sides. She opened the cabinet above the stove top, pulling down three plates. Once she filled each of the plates with the pancakes, Sango sat down to eat breakfast with the rest of her family.

Reaching for the butter dish at the center of the table, her father started to speak.

''Sango.''

''Yes, dad?''

''Are you planning on going to Silent Pines after school today?, you know you don't have to go if you don't want to. Considering what day It is I'm sure the school will give you leeway on your extra curricular volunteer work for today.''

''No dad, I actually want to go.'' Sango managed to reply in between mouthfuls of pancake and orange juice.

''Are you sure?''

''Yes. Besides, I need to get this done as quickly as possible. I have more important things to attend to besides volunteer hours for my college applications.''

''Alright, Just be careful okay.''

Sango nodded. ''Don't worry, I will.''

She looked at the clock in the kitchen, it was 7:00 am. Her daily cue to leave for school. Sango kissed her father on the cheek goodbye. Her head hung low once she was out the door. Sango really hated April 11th.

* * *

[A/N] Wow, this chapter certainly turned out darker than I originally planned it to be. I need to fix my categories on this fic ASAP. I had a lot of fun on this one. I went with a much different dynamic for Sango's family than I did with Miroku's. Sango's family is considerably less traditional than his is, although both families in my AU are Japanese-American as I find it easier to work with that way. Either way I still try to do as much research as I can. Chapter 4 will be posted fairly soon, I'm kind of on a creative kick right now. I may edit this later to fix most of the grammar and punctuation inaccuracies that I can catch.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Tears For Fears- Mad World**

 **Track 2: Night Ranger- Sister Christian  
**

 **Track 3: David Bowie- Underground**


	4. First Impressions

Chapter 4: First Impressions

Upon arriving at the entrance gate of Silent Pines, Miroku was pleasantly surprised. The facility was friggin huge! He had originally imagined it to look more like a hospital but this place was like a resort. Pine trees surrounded the many acres on the property as it overlooked one of the larger north side beaches from atop a rather steep hill. He could see the surfers at the bottom catching some pretty big waves. To his right was a very large golf course with boomer businessmen riding around in golf carts. He wondered if that was a part of the facility as well. Once he found a suitable parking spot, he put the Camaro in park. Reaching into his jeans pockets, he pulled out the map of the facility with the instructions for his employment. The first thing he was supposed to do was report to a woman named Julie Garcia, assuming her to be one of the human resources people here.

The main building of Silent Pines looked like a giant ski cabin, the exterior of the place looked convincingly rustic yet upscale at the same time. The windows of the main cabin were fairly modest looking wood framed ones, the biggest being at the very front of the building. To his left he could see other, smaller cabin-esque buildings behind the main one; connected by a long, covered walkway with lots of exit points. After skimming a little bit more of the facility he entered the revolving doors to the inside of the building.

Once he was on the inside he found his hunch to be right, this place was _definitely_ upscale. The first thing he noticed when he walked through the door was a giant indoor rock pond, complete with a waterfall fountain. Above the fountain was a second floor, he could see some of the facility's employees working. They all wore what looked like a light blue polo-shirt paired with matching khaki shorts. A good number of them looked around his age, college age. Although there were a few females in the bunch, the employees were mostly guys from what he could see. Focusing his eyes back to the center of the lobby he noticed the front desk, unlike the fugly receptionists at the courthouse; the women who were stationed at this front desk were definite lookers. Standing next to the desk were two equally attractive younger female employees. He could tell that they were valley girls by the way they talked. The taller, blonde one was chewing bubble gum as she spoke to the shorter brunette girl. He heard the short one say something about some guy named "Rich" and a party, followed by a loud, peppy, "Shut Up!" from the tall one. Her face blushed as she giggled, playfully slapping the shorter girl on the shoulder blade. Miroku decided to ask them for directions to Julie Garcia's office.

"Um, excuse me ladies. Would you happen to know where Julie Garcia's office is?"

He got the short one's attention. "Cheeuh!" she exclaimed. "Her office is down the hall, past the soda machines, look for the third door on your right, okay?"

"Alright, thanks ladies."

As he walked off he could hear them giggle some more, this time they were obviously giggling about him.

"Ohmigod Stacy that guy was totally checking you out!" squealed the tall one.

"Kelly! He can like totally hear you right now." Scolded Stacy towards her friend.

"Hey guy!" Kelly shouted back at Miroku, "My friend thinks you are really cute; just thought you should know."

Miroku smiled an almost toothy grin back at them. "Uhh thanks." he replied.

After that bout of awkwardness, the two girls continued their conversation. Miroku headed further down the hall, finally stopping at Julie Garcia's office door. He gave it a firm knock. He heard the door handle turn. A stocky blonde woman was standing on the inside. She had a clipboard clutched in her right hand and a pen with turtles on it tucked neatly behind her ear. She peered down at the clipboard.

"You must be one of my 8 o'clockers. Miroku Hoshima, is it? I'm Julie, Julie Garcia. I'm a human resources manager here at the facility." She tucked the clipboard under her left arm, extending out her right hand to Miroku.

"Yes Ma'am that would be me." He shook her hand.

"Come inside my office and have a seat, there are others inside waiting as well."

Once inside, Miroku inspected the small office. He saw that there were two other guys in there already, the first of the of the guys looked slightly younger than him, this guy was skinny, really skinny. He wore a too big Van Halen band shirt that hung off of his body like a loose sack. His face was visibly obscured by his shaggy brown locks. How he was able to see through that mop top remained a mystery to Miroku. The other guy looked roughly the same age as Miroku, He was much different looking than the other guy. This guy had an athletic physique with tanned skin, his black hair was fashioned into a military-style haircut with a sharp fade in the back. He wore two-toned black air jordans and a white, layered short sleeve button-up shirt with the undershirt sloppily tucked into a pair of belted khaki pants. Aside from the two strangers in the room, the most peculiar thing in the office was this lady's obsession with turtles. Turtle themed things were everywhere in this room, stone turtles, a turtle wastebasket, framed poster prints of turtles on the walls, and about a dozen assorted plush turtles crammed on a single bookcase shelf.

Miroku took his seat next to the tanned guy. Julie began reciting protocol for the three "delinquents" in the room.

"So we all know why you three are here today, for some reason Judge Kleburne has decided to give you three punks a second-chance. Anyways, you already know my name is Julie Garcia. I will be your boss during your three month community service term. You are to report to me immediately if there are any problems during the duration of your term here. Does anyone have any questions?"

There was no answer from any of the three men. Julie continued, reciting a pre-rendered speech in a pamphlet of sorts almost word for word.

"Anyways without further ado, welcome to Silent Pines, we are a privately owned, donor-funded rehabilitation resort. Under any circumstances you are **not** to mingle with the patients here, you three are here to work. Your work will consist of trash pickup and custodial duties such as mopping, vacuuming, and sweeping." Julie reached behind her desk, grabbing a large, magnetic dry-erase board with some kind of chore chart placed on it. On the chart were three turtle magnets, one for each of the boys in the room. Julie had written each of their names in permanent marker on the turtles.

"This is the work chart, you will see your turtle next to your assigned duty for the next six hours." Julie opened her desk and handed over three keys, each on a neon green coiled plastic band. Each of the boys grabbed a key.

"These are the keys to the custodial shed, you are to hand these over at the front desk at the end of your shift. During your shift you will have one fifteen minute break and one 25 minute lunch break where you are free to mingle with each other. A bag lunch will be provided." Julie paused, looking up at the turtle clock above the office door.

"You have thirty minutes before we open at 9am, feel free to use this time to introduce yourselves to your co-workers for the next three months." With saying that last remark, Julie left the office. Miroku slumped over, resting his head on his knuckles. He wanted to fall back asleep so bad.

During the thirty minute break, he managed to learn the two other guy's names. The skinny kid's name was Billy Marsten, he didn't seem to like talking very much, then again who could blame him. The tan guy sitting in the middle was named Hector Villanueva. This guy was the polar opposite of the pale, skinny, kid next to him. He was loud, almost jovial. Immediately, Hector declared Billy and Miroku to be his "homeboys". Hector turned in his chair to face Miroku.

"So, do you know like Kung-Fu and shit, man?" he asked. Miroku raised his eyebrow at the strange question.

"I'm not too familiar with that particular martial art, so no." Miroku replied. However, he was reminded that he did indeed know a little bit of jiu jitsu from his childhood. Not that he really kept at it, he considered his guitar playing a better use of his time than learning how to block punches and kicks. That's not to say he wasn't a good fighter, he was fast and he knew how to analyze his surroundings to use to his advantage. He reminisced back to the after school brawls he would get into back in middle and high school. They were usually with other guys who were furious that he was trying to put the moves on their girlfriends. How was he supposed to know the girls were taken when they didn't mention anything beforehand? Wasn't his fault.

Soon the thirty minutes of free time were up. The three boys headed off towards the back trying to locate the custodial shed. Once there, each of them grabbed a mop bucket and a mop. Their task today was to mop the recreational center from top to bottom, _Super fun._

The hours passed on, soon enough it was break time. Miroku tapped Hector on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Hey, Hector...you got some bud on you?" he asked, knowing there was a pretty good possibility that Hector had weed on his person.

Hector grinned, "You smoke man? I knew there was I reason I liked you! Yeah I got some." Hector turned to face Billy.

"Joo comin' too, Shaggy?" he yelled at Billy across the room. Billy nodded as he silently trailed behind Hector and Miroku.

Behind the custodial shed, Hector took a fat cigarillo out from his inside shirt pocket. He unrolled it, discarded the the tobacco, and re-rolled it with marijuana in it's place. Hector lit it, hit it, and then passed it down to Miroku and Billy. Miroku took a hit, he was pleasantly surprised at the quality of Hector's trees.

"Where did you get this good shit at?" Miroku asked, his fingers carefully examining the cigarillo.

"From my cousin, Luis in Mexico. Luis can grow pretty much anything, he has green thumbs or something." Hector replied.

Miroku made a mental note to get Hector's number and address later as he had been meaning to find another dealer. Jimmy's older brother's stuff had been sub-par these past couple of months. Miroku passed the cigarillo over to Billy. Billy coughed.

"Fuck! that _is_ some strong shit." Billy managed to spurt out in between coughs. His voice was surprisingly deep.

Miroku laughed, "So you do speak? I was beginning to wonder if you were some kind of mute."

"So what are you guys in for?" Miroku asked Hector and Billy.

Hector was the first to reply. "I got caught trying to hot wire some guy's Chevy truck. I told those fools I just wanted to take a ride man, I was going to bring it right back."

Billy spoke up next, "I lit an abandoned travel trailer on fire, the cops saw me sit back and watch it burn. It was fun watching the flames encircle that pile of junk. It was kind of like seeing badass pyrotechnics at a concert" "How about you Miroku? What got you stuck here."

Miroku took another hit, the cigarillo was burnt down to just a roach. "Vandalism, My band mates and I were trying to tag our band's name on the bridge under the overpass. They bailed, I was caught."

"That's rough dude." Billy responded, throwing the burnt-out roach on the ground.

Soon enough the break was over and the three boys had to return back to cleaning. They had to keep silent as they didn't know if turtle lady was hiding around the corner. Hours later, lunch had came and gone. Miroku found the chips in the mediocre bag lunch at least edible. The sandwich reminded him of trying to eat drywall, it was disgusting.

* * *

Time dwindled on until the last hour of Miroku's shift began, he was busy mopping someone's throw up in the lobby. Apparently some guy had shown up hammered to his Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Miroku didn't mind it though, he was used to puke, he certainly had cleaned up enough of Andrew's in his lifetime. His bassist, Andrew Sims, was a real lightweight when it came to alcohol, frequently getting alcohol poison. Getting bored, Miroku decided to avert his gaze to the people in the lobby some more. At this time of day most of the people happened to be patients. The lobby was like a never-ending sea of white scrubs. He could assume by their demeanor that most of them were rich people who had either addictions or a mental breakdown. After all, who the hell wears a Rolex watch or expensive jewelry to a nuthouse besides the filthy rich? Aside from some of the blue-shirted employees from earlier, there was nobody here remotely close to his age.

Trying to focus his attention back on mopping Miroku noticed a girl, correction: a young woman exit from the hallway, into the lobby. His eyes widened. This girl was stunning! She had long, waist-length dark chestnut brown hair tied into a loose ponytail and big brown eyes, he could seriously get lost in those eyes. Her long lashes fluttered as she blinked. Her rosy lips, although small, were pert and full. Definitely kissable. Her body was of average height, feminine, yet tight and firm, suggesting that she probably did some kind of sport like tennis or softball. She wore a fitted pink baby tee that showed off the perfect curves of her above-average sized breasts and slim waist. High wasted nearly skin tight fold-over jeans accentuated her hips just right. Finishing off her outfit was a pair of plain, well-worn white sneakers. She was perfect, like that unattainable girl next-door type that he always fantasized about. He had to know who she was, clearly she wasn't a patient and she was too young for Alcoholics Anonymous and the like. He asked some of the blue-shirted employees who she was. They explained that she was a volunteer peer-counselor from one of the local private high schools. His hunch was right, she was definitely not a patient.

Miroku walked over to the girl, hoping to start some friendly small talk. If he was lucky, he would end up with her digits. He casually leaned on the wall next to where she was sitting down.

"So, are you a volunteer here?" He asked, his "charming" smile flashed at her with maximum power.

"yeah." she replied, obviously trying to duck her face away from his gaze. "How about you, are you volunteering as well?" she asked him in return.

"You could call it that, I mostly clean floors though. So, beautiful, you got a name? I'm Miroku, Miroku Hoshima."

"Sango." she replied. "Sango Sato."

Miroku gulped. Dear God, even her name was beautiful. He wondered if she spoke his mother tongue; it would be a useful skill for her to have if he was to ever bring her to his parents. Especially his mother, whose English was really poor. His mother never did quite catch on to the language as well as his father did. Miroku shook his head, why was he thinking about that now, he barely knew this girl but _sweet lord_ he wanted to get to know her.

"Sango huh? I like it, a pretty name fitting for a pretty girl."

Sango stared down at the floor. Miroku noticed she was blushing by the not-so-stealthy way she tried to hide her face. Damn, she looked even _cuter_ this way!

Sango lifted her head up. From the expression on her face and the crimson color of her cheeks, Miroku could tell that she was obviously flustered by his persistent flirting. Was he coming on too strong? He certainly didn't think so.

"Look, I know what you are trying to do and the answer is No. No, I will not go out with you, nor will I give you my phone number."

Miroku smiled. Sango was not only cute, she was smart too. He had to find a creative way around this problem if he was ever going to see her again.

"Who said anything about asking you out? I only wanted to know if you wanted to chat while I wait for my shift to end, if you haven't noticed there's not many people in this lobby who look like they could carry a decent conversation."

Sango sighed, hoping that her dad would hurry up and get here already, she was never any good at talking with boys. She peered out of the large window in the lobby. Saved by the horn! Her dad was already waiting outside in his sedan. She focused her attention back on Miroku, shooting him the sweetest, fakest, smile she could muster.

"Sorry, Miroku. As much as I would like to stay behind and idly chat with you. I have to go, my ride is waiting for me outside." she said as she rose from the lobby bench. Just when she was starting to walk off, Miroku stopped her.

"So, If I see you again, will you take me up on my offer?" he asked

"Maybe, but I doubt our paths will be crossing again anytime soon. Goodbye, Miroku"

She shot him another smile, unlike the previous one, this smile was genuine.

As Miroku made his way back to his mop bucket he continued to watch Sango as she left the building, his gaze firmly planted on her ass as she walked off. "Damn! even her ass is perfect." he muttered under his breath. Sango was taking his mind places, really nice places.

* * *

"Why did I smile at him like that?" Sango scolded herself. She sat in the back seat of the sedan, her hands cupped her face. She wanted to tell Miroku to step off so bad but she found herself inexplicably pulled to him for some reason. Sure the guy was attractive, any girl could see that. When she felt those gorgeous deep blue eyes of his mentally undressing her, it should have made her want to slap him into Sunday but instead she wanted more. His boyish good looks and bad-boy demeanor didn't help the situation much either. Miroku was a total burnout, she could smell the stench of marijuana and cigarettes on him from a mile away. His jet black hair was scruffy looking, tied in a ponytail in the back, He wore a vest typical of headbangers and punks with patches that contained bands she never heard of with grotesque artwork. He also had earrings in both ears as it was not uncommon for men of his type to sport piercings of all sorts. He was, without a doubt the kind of guy that no girl ever wanted to bring home to her father. He was trouble personified in denim, leather, and spikes. The undeniable fact that he was damn fine looking made it ten times worse. His sweet compliments rang like church bells in her ears. Ugh, why couldn't she forget about him? Did she actually want to get to know Miroku Hoshima on a personal level? It was like her head was simultaneously screaming yes and no at the same time. Sango did tell him the truth though, today _was_ her last day of peer-counseling at Silent Pines, so the chances of seeing him again in a city as big as San Diego were slim to none. That thought alone seemed to alleviate some of her stress. All that she knew was that if she did ever see him again, it would be hard to not take him up on his offer. She couldn't wait for tomorrow to begin, April 11th was driving her nuts.

"Is everything okay, Sango, honey? You've been awfully quiet since you've got in the car." Her dad asked from the driver's seat.

"I'm fine dad, I just think that when we get home I'm going to take a really long nap, I've had an extremely long day."

* * *

[A/N] Alright 4th chapter done-zo! This one was quite the challenge as I am weak when it comes to explaining buildings and the like. To wrap this up I added another 80's slang glossary for this chapter down below.

 **Friggin** \- a term closely related to "freaking" or "fucking"

 **Fugly** \- Shorthand for "Fucking Ugly"

 **Cheeuh** \- 80's slang for yeah, or "no duh"

 **Bud** \- Marijuana.

 **Trees** \- Marijuana

 **Roach** \- A marijuana cigarette or joint that has been almost completely burned out.

 **Digits** \- not really 80's centric, but I've heard it used a lot in movies from the late 80's-onward. It means phone-number.

 **Burnout** \- A druggie; someone who smokes cigarettes/doesn't care about themselves, in general a loser. Used mostly when describing stoners.

 **Headbanger** \- Term for a person who is a fan of Heavy Metal music.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Quiet Riot- Bang Your Head/Metal Health  
**

 **Track 2: Mötley Crüe- Smokin' In The Boy's Room**

 **Track 3: Warrant- Cherry Pie**


	5. Cashing a rain-check

Chapter 5: Cashing a rain-check

Miroku lay face-down in the comfort of his bed. Two weeks into his mandatory community service term at Silent Pines, he was already burnt out on the place. Every day it was the same thing. He would get there, obtain the key to the shed and either mop, sweep, or pick up trash with a poker outside of the cabins. Sure, he had his break times with Billy and Hector to look forward to but that wasn't enough. Every day the monotony of his situation creeped up on him just a little bit more. Not to mention the fact that he hadn't seen Sango at all since their chance encounter. Miroku had really hoped that she would be there more often. He sighed. "I guess I met her a little too late." Sango; her lovely face and womanly curves remained etched into his mind. He imagined himself pressed against her, his mouth interlocked with hers in a passionate kiss, his hands roaming all over the supple, soft, skin of her body as she begged him to take her. Miroku grabbed one of the longer pillows from his bed. Pressing the length of his body into the pillow, he began to murmur her name.

"Who's Sango?"

Miroku jerked his head from his pillow to find his little sister Rin hovering over him. Her eyes were wide with curiosity. He rolled over on his side to face her, annoyed that his kid sister would have the audacity to enter his room. Especially when it looked like he was about to get frisky with his pillow.

"Rin, what have I told you about coming into my room without knocking? Get lost."

Rin pouted, "you are so mean Onii-chan. So are you going to tell me who she is?"

"It's none of your business who "she" is, now seriously, get lost, go watch TV or something. I don't want to be bothered right now."

"Hmph, figures you would be the type who wouldn't take rejection well."

Miroku frowned. "Get out of my room Rin!" He shouted, chucking his pillow at her head. He missed his mark as Rin quickly ducked out of the way. Rin stuck her tongue out at him making a raspberry noise as she ran out of his room.

Miroku loved his little sister to death although sometimes she could really try his patience. He needed to remember to lock his door more often in the future. Since his fantasy session had been so rudely interrupted, he decided to get out of bed. Miroku looked down at his clock radio, it was a little past 2pm. Even though it was a little early for him to be up and about, he decided to grab his guitar case and head over to Jimmy's garage to tune his guitar before the other guys got there for practice later that afternoon. Miroku slung the strap over his shoulder. As he came to the bottom of the stairwell his mother was waiting there for him, her hand placed firmly on her hip. Clearly she wanted him to do some arbitrary task before he bolted out the door.

"And just where do you think you are going?" she asked.

"Out. I have band practice at Jimmy's place."

"You promised Papa you would walk the dog today, well are you?"

"Can't Rin do it? After all Inuyasha is _her_ dog." Miroku griped.

"You know very well that Rin has piano lessons at this time of day. Besides all you ever do is eat and sleep. Look at you, you are so pale. You need to go outside and enjoy the sunshine before the sun gets too hot."

His mom handed him the leash. "Just go do it so I don't have to hear it from your father later."

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll go walk the dog."

Miroku made his way towards the backyard, looking for the white akita-inu. He found Inuyasha lazily sunbathing on the back patio, caked-on dirt covered his large white paws. To the dog's left was a freshly dug hole. "I thought dad had broke him of digging holes in the ground." Miroku groaned as he readied the leash in his hand.

"Inuyasha! Come here boy!"

The dog's ear's perked up at hearing his name. Inuyasha scurried off of the ground, ready to pounce on Miroku.

"Inuyasha _Osuwari!"_

Inuyasha sat down, letting Miroku attach the red leash to his matching collar. Now came the hard part...actually getting the dog to walk on the leash. Miroku tugged on the leash, the dog remained firmly planted on the ground. He tugged again. Inuyasha gnawed at the leash as Miroku desperately tried to pull him out the back gate. Realizing he had had enough of this charade, he picked the heavy dog up in his arms. If Inuyasha wasn't going to walk then he was going to take a ride. Miroku unlocked the passenger door of his Camaro, hastily pushing the dog into the back seat. Inuyasha growled at him. "Hey, you're the one who didn't want to walk, so don't give me any attitude." Miroku grouched, locking his keys into the ignition. Inuyasha fell back into the seat as Miroku drove off the curb of the street.

Miroku opened his center console, randomly grabbing for one of his many cassettes. He picked one up and glanced at the dust jacket. "Ride the Lightning. I haven't heard this one in a while." he said, popping the cassette into the tape deck. He turned up his speakers to full blast; letting the glorious sounds of Metallica fill the neighborhood.

Miroku drove around the suburbs passing by the elementary school, the coffee shop, Pizza Hut, and a couple of other assorted businesses. He took a right turn back into the subdivision, driving down a couple of more blocks away from his house. He slowed down as he came up on St. Catherine's High School, noticing that the School had just let out for the day. Ah, St. Catherines; if there was one thing he knew about the girls from that school was that they came in two flavors, they were either really stuck up or really easy. The chicks that Jimmy and the rest of the band managed to score with from there were definitely easy. All any of them had to do was mention that they were in a band and the naive girls were like putty in their hands. Miroku personally had never dated or scored with any of the girls from there but from the wild stories that Stony and Jimmy had told him, he was very curious to see if it was all true. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. He had much more important things than chasing schoolgirl tail to worry about. Just as he was about to pass the school up He noticed Sango come out of the building.

Miroku turned off the radio. His foot was on the brake, ready to bring the car to a halt. There she was, surrounded by a group of girls walking towards the outside of the school's main gate. Sango, radiant Sango. He felt his heart skip a beat when he noticed that she was wearing the standard uniform that the girls at St. Catherine's wore. It looked good on her, _really_ good on her _._ He especially liked the way the short plaid skirt showed off her shapely legs. A perverted grin spread across Miroku's face as he imagined how amazing it would feel to fuck schoolgirl Sango in the tight confines of a church confessional. His lewd fantasy was cut short when he realized Sango had started walking closer to the exit gate. Miroku unbuckled his seat belt as he turned off the ignition, stepping out of the car. He hoped like hell that Sango wouldn't find him waiting outside of his car too creepy, after all he barely knew her. Looking up into the sky, he noticed the clouds had gotten darker since he left the house. If it started to rain he would offer her a ride home.

* * *

"See you later!" Sango waved goodbye to her classmates. She paused when she got to the gate. Parked on the curb was a black sports-car. Outside of the car she saw a familiar face, a very familiar face. She approached the man, a little annoyed that he managed to find her. Was he stalking her? She wanted to get to the bottom of this asap.

"Miroku, what are you doing here? Furthermore, how the hell did you manage to find me?" she got close to his face. "You're not stalking me are you?" She clenched her fists; ready to pound the tar out of him if he didn't answer her within the next three seconds.

"I assure you It's not what it looks like, I was merely passing through the neighborhood. It's a coincidence really that I would happen to see you again. Honestly, I'm quite surprised that we live so close to one another."

Sango quirked her eyebrow, she was skeptical but she didn't doubt the truth behind his words, still she had to make sure he was telling her the absolute truth. "Coincidence huh? Then tell me if you really do live in this neighborhood, where is the witch's tree located? Surely a local such as yourself would know where such a well-known landmark is." She crossed her arms, waiting for his response.

Miroku closed his eyes as he let out a small chuckle, she was making this a little too easy.

"The witch's tree is located on the corner of Rockwell and Dogwood, it sits next to a house that has clearly been abandoned for over a decade. So, Miss trivia; what do I win?" Miroku shot her a coy smile.

So he wasn't lying. That still didn't mean that she trusted him completely. Sango lost her trail of thought when she heard barking come from Miroku's car. She couldn't contain her laughter, her hands were on her thighs as she tried to catch her breath from laughing so hard. Miroku scratched his head, confused at what she found so funny.

"So you have a dog in your car. Wait...don't tell me, you also have candy in there too?"

Miroku got her joke. "I guess I do look like some kind of creeper right now. Although, I assure you that was not my intention." His eyes locked on hers. She could tell that he was being completely serious.

Miroku was just about to open his mouth with a sarcastic quip of his own when he felt a fat droplet of rain fall on his scalp. Soon, the rain began pouring down. He turned his attention back on Sango.

"I don't suppose you have an umbrella on you?" he smirked. "I could give you a ride home but of course that would mean you would have to ride with a total creeper and his dog."

Sango sighed, "Well I guess If I'm being _kidnapped_ , I better do it right."

Miroku opened the passenger door, "After you, milady."

Sango got in, wasting no time to fasten her seatbelt. She felt something wet and cold brush up against the side of her face. It was the muzzle of Miroku's dog. "Does he bite?" She asked.

"Nah, Inuyasha's mostly harmless, it's his bark you got to watch out for, sometimes that dog doesn't know the meaning of the word **quiet** " Miroku assured her.

"Oh, is that so? Then tell me, If he's so harmless then why does he look like he can rip a grown man to shreds? _"_

Miroku Laughed, "The only thing he hates are mailmen and solicitors. He's kind-of the main reason why the mailman on our street started to use a truck to drop off our mail. He likes cats, though I haven't the slightest idea why."

He put the Camaro in drive. "Don't be too alarmed at my driving skills, I've been told I have a heavy foot."

Sango gripped the armrest of her seat as the car peeled out on the pavement. Miroku wasn't kidding about his heavy foot.

Miroku circled a couple of blocks until he finally arrived on Sango's street. At this point the rain had all but disappeared. "Alright, tell me when to stop at the right house." he said while Sango was busy staring out the window trying to guide him to the right address. He must have at least passed seven or so houses before she told him to stop the car.

"This is it, 1580 Cherrywood lane."

Miroku parked the car beside the curb. The first thing he noticed about Sango's house was that it was considerably smaller than his. For starters, his house was a large two-story vintage house built in the 1920's that had a lot of remodeling done to it. Her house was a lot more modern looking, it was only one story and the outside foundation was made of a stucco of large quarry rocks. Outside the house there was a large oak tree surrounded by a flowerbed of poppies and daisies. It was kind of cute. Her house reminded him of a cottage. Sango began to unbuckle her seat belt.

"Thanks for taking me home, Miroku."

Miroku turned his head to face her. "Think nothing of it, I couldn't in good conscience let a girl walk home alone in the rain."

Sango gave him an appreciative smile. "Once again, thanks."

Sango grabbed her leather backpack from off of the floorboard. "Well I guess I'd better get inside." She glanced over at Miroku, noticing that his hands were still gripped on the steering wheel.

"Would you like to come inside for some coffee? I don't know if you have plans or anything. Besides, we never really got a chance to chat at Silent Pines. I'd like to continue where we left off, if that's okay."

Upon hearing Sango's offer, Miroku was stuck somewhere between being completely elated at the fact that she remembered what he had said at Silent Pines and trying to not look too excited that she actually accepted his rain-check on their conversation. He quickly regained his composure.

"Sure, I'd like that."

Miroku put the car in park, turning the ignition off before sticking the car keys inside of one of the pockets of his battle jacket. After getting out of the car he propped his seat forward. He reached for Inuyasha's leash, pulling on it yet again. Surprise; surprise, the damn dog still wouldn't budge.

Sango looked over her shoulder, "Something wrong back there?"

"Not really, it's just Inuyasha being stubborn. He really hates to be walked on his leash." Miroku exhaled a deep breath before picking Inuyasha up in his arms once again. Sango tried to contain a giggle when she saw an exasperated Miroku carry the large dog like it was a big fluffy baby.

"Does this happen often?"

Miroku let out a grunt. "More than you'd expect. There's a reason why his "walks" usually involve my car."

* * *

Once inside of Sango's house, Inuyasha didn't waste any time before shaking out his damp fur. Miroku surveyed the inside of her house finding it to be nothing like the inside of his own house.

Compared to his home, her home looked downright cozy. A comfy-looking sectional couch with a wooden coffee table in front of it greeted him when he stepped into the front room. Further away from the couch and the table was a large TV, hooked up to the TV was a video game console with two controllers. However, the thing that caught his attention the most was the large amount of pictures displayed on the walls of the front room. Most of them showed Sango and a boy whom Miroku could only assume to be her brother growing up throughout the years. His parents never put sentimental stuff like that on display in their home, instead they opted to put boring things like landscape paintings, calligraphy art, and creepy statues of fish. He could hear Sango in the kitchen running some tap water through the coffee maker. Miroku focused his attention back on the photographs. He smiled, Sango was a really cute kid. Next to the walkway of the hall he found a large glass display case full of medals and trophies, most of them highlighting some kind of academic or sports achievement. Miroku chuckled upon realizing that Sango had even more awards than his own over-achieving sister. He scuttled around the front room some more, finally stopping at a fireplace in the corner of the room.

Resting atop the mantle of the fireplace were two more pictures, these ones much older than the ones on the wall. One of the pictures was a really old sepia toned photograph showing a young couple dressed in traditional Japanese clothing. Next to the antique photo on the mantle was another photo. This one caught Miroku's attention the most. It was a small photo, the sides of it charred from ash behind the glass frame. The picture showed Sango's entire family, her father, brother, and her mother in a charming family pose. Palm trees and a shoreline stood out in the background behind the family. His eyes focused attention on Sango's mother. He could see where Sango got her looks from. Even though Sango clearly favored her father in some aspects, she had her mother's warm brown eyes.

"Alright, the coffee is ready." Sango said; setting down two glass mugs of black coffee, a bowl of sugar cubes, and a pitcher of cream on the coffee table. She looked over to find Miroku still staring at the pictures on the mantle.

"Is there something on your mind, Miroku?"

Miroku snapped out of his trance. "Oh no, not at all. I was just looking at your family photo. It looked like such a happy moment, my eyes were drawn to it."

Miroku took a seat next to her on the couch wasting no time to grab one of the coffee cups off the table. He generously filled the cup with some of the sugar cubes. He saw Sango let out a deep, mournful sigh. Did he say something that upset her? He wondered.

"Yes, it was a happy moment, although I'm sad to say it was also one of the last..."

Miroku was taken aback by her statement, what did she mean by "the last"?

Sango could see the look of confused concern in his eyes. "It's nothing to worry yourself about, forget I even brought it up."

There it was again, that look of pain and sorrow on her face. Miroku knew that It would be a wise decision to drop the subject despite the fact that his morbid curiosity was getting the better of him. Against his better judgment, he decided to press on. He asked her again what she meant by "the last".

"That picture on the mantle was taken two days before my mother's murder, it is a memento of one of the last memories I have of her."

Miroku's eyes widened at the shock that her mother had been murdered, that's a terrible thing for anyone to go through. Poor Sango, no wonder she was so hesitant to tell him about it. Miroku still had to know more details like who killed her, and if the murderer was ever caught.

"Do you know who killed her?" Miroku asked, pressing his luck that she would even tell him.

Sango took a sip of coffee, her eyes were closed as she remembered the exact details of the perpetrator.

"Yes, I do know who killed her. Miroku, how familiar are you with serial killers and the like?"

Miroku paused, Sango's question was certainly a strange one. Nevertheless, he did know a couple of things about serial killers and famous homicides from the fact that he watched enough of those cop programs on TV like "America's most armed and dangerous" not to mention he did an oral report on the Zodiac killer during his senior year of high school for his social sciences class.

"Kind of, I know of a couple." he replied between sips of coffee.

"Are you familiar with a killer who went by the name of Naraku?"

Miroku nearly spat. That name was definitely one that rang a bell. Naraku, who also went by the moniker "The Hell Spider" was a cannibalistic madman whose senseless killing had spanned two continents. He would always strike at places heavy with tourists, one of his favorite spots to strike at were the Hawaiian Islands. Naraku's victims were always at random but they all had something in common, when the bodies were found they were often mutilated to the point that the only thing recognizable on them was a single spider shaped scar on their back. Throughout Naraku's reign of terror, only one woman managed to escape. Too bad the ordeal made the woman absolutely insane. Miroku remembered seeing an interview with the woman on TV a couple of years ago. The woman's name was Kagura Nishikawa, A Japanese tourist staying in Hawaii. Kagura was captured by Naraku in the summer of 1969. For five years he had brutally tortured this woman in an abandoned surf shack in one of the more remote locations of the island. When the cops finally found her in 1974 she was thankfully, still alive but she had forgotten the entirety of her language, how to control basic bodily functions, and where she had come from. she could only communicate In crude pictographs as Naraku had cut out her tongue. For some reason the mere mention of that creep's name was enough to send a sharp phantom pain through Miroku's right hand. Was Naraku the one who killed Sango's mother?

"Yes, I have heard of him. Tell me Sango, was he the one that murdered your mother?"

Sango sat her coffee cup back on the table. "Yes, he was the one responsible for my mother's death, I know this because I saw the mark of the spider on her corpse."

Sango went into detail about how she witnessed the entire ordeal; the rape of her mother, the shooting, the fire and her and Kohaku making their escape. It was all too much for Miroku, he wanted to embrace her in a hug, to tell her it was all in the past and that she was safe now. As tears welled in her eyes, he wanted to comfort her, to be a shoulder for her to cry on. But he could tell that she was strong, she had to be if she survived all of that.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Nobody should ever have to go through the absolute hell that you experienced."

Sango; touched at his sentiment, turned her head to speak to him.

"Thank you for your kind words, Miroku. If anything this whole ordeal with my mother's murder has given me strength to pursue my goals. It's because of her murder that I'm determined to become a lawyer just so I can help put creeps like Naraku in a prison cell."

Sango went on about her plans for college, and how she was top of the class at her high school and so on and so forth. She talked about how she would play tennis on the weekends with her dad, her brother's obsession with video games and such. As she rambled on, Miroku clung on to every word that came out of her mouth. He was right, she _was_ fascinating. She was intelligent, witty, funny, and not to mention beautiful. Not only would she make an excellent girlfriend to any lucky guy out there, he could see himself becoming fast friends with her. He hoped that there would be other chances to hang out with her in the near future.

Sango glanced over at Miroku's coffee cup, noticing that it was empty.

"I'm sorry I kept rambling on like that, can I offer you another cup of coffee?"

"Sure." He nodded, handing the the cup over to her.

* * *

While Sango was in the kitchen, a small yellow and black cat jumped on Miroku's lap. The cat let out a small mew as it nestled into a ball, purring loudly. He noticed something odd about this cat, it had not one but two large fluffy tails.

"I see that you've met Kirara already." Sango chuckled, setting the freshly-filled coffee cup on the table.

"Yeah, she jumped up on my lap not too long ago, I must say that this is the first time I've ever seen a cat with two tails."

Sango chimed in, "She is quite the oddity isn't she? We found her when we moved into this house, she was nothing more than a little ball of dirty fluff living beneath the foundation. Kohaku swears up and down that she has magical powers but I think it's just his over-active imagination playing tricks on him."

"So Miroku, do you have any hobbies or anything? Are you currently in school?" Sango asked, feeling guilty that while she blabbed on about herself he didn't get a word in edgewise.

"No, I'm not in school at the moment. I graduated High School last year. As for hobbies, I'm the lead guitarist in a band with some of my friends."

Miroku dug in the side pocket of his vest for the demo tape he always carried on him. Once he was able to find it, he handed it over to Sango.

Sango studied the plain looking cassette. "Mystic Lyzzard, huh?"

Miroku crossed his arms "Yeah, we mostly do heavy metal and thrash metal. We've only gotten a handful of gigs so far. If you'd like I could make you a copy of that tape."

Sango smiled, "I'd like that."

Shortly after Sango handed Miroku back the demo tape, there was a knock at the door. Kirara jumped off of Miroku's lap, scurrying into the kitchen. Miroku motioned for Inuyasha to come sit next to him. He held the dog's collar as Sango opened the door.

A freckle-faced teenage boy, no more than thirteen dressed in a dirty baseball uniform stepped inside the house, he carried a duffle bag in his right hand and an aluminum bat under his arm.

"Welcome back, Kohaku. How was practice?"

"Tiring." Kohaku responded, plopping down on the empty side of the couch, he dropped his sports equipment on the floor.

Sango tapped him on the shoulder. "Not so fast little brother, shoes off."

Kohaku groaned as he untied his cleats, forcefully throwing them at the door. The shoes landed on top of another with a thud. Kohaku looked up from the couch, barely registering that Miroku was in the room. He quickly sat up.

"I didn't realize we had company."

Sango began to introduce her brother. "Miroku, this is my brother Kohaku. Kohaku, this is Miroku, he's a friend of mine from Silent Pines."

The two guys exchanged their hellos. Kohaku wasted no time to turn on the video game console on the TV, he picked up one of the controllers on the ground. "Does dad know you have company over?"

Sango shook her head "Dad hasn't come home yet."

Inuyasha slipped from Miroku's grasp. The dog strolled over to Kohaku, giving the teenager a couple of sniffs.

"Does he bite?"

Miroku gave Kohaku the same spiel about Inuyasha that he had told Sango earlier. After letting Kohaku pet him, Inuyasha made his way back to Miroku's side.

Inuyasha's ears perked up as the door knob once again turned. This time a tall, burly, mustachioed man in a police uniform entered the house. Miroku's hands began to sweat. Even though Sango had mentioned that her father was a cop, he never expected the man to be one of the officers at the station from the night of his arrest. He crossed his fingers, hoping that Sango's father wouldn't recognize him.

"Welcome home, Daddy." Sango hugged her father as she greeted him at the door.

The officer paused, his eyes locked on Miroku.

"Hello again, _Spray paint_." there was venom in the officer's words.

Miroku scowled, so the officer did remember him after all.

"Daddy, you know Miroku?" Sango asked, confused at her father's remark.

"You could say that we have recently been acquainted with one another. Sango honey, would you be a dear and go into the other room, I need to have a chat with your friend."

Miroku stood up as Sango's father walked over towards him. The officer stood like a rock, his face only mere inches away from Miroku's

"Look here Spray paint, I don't know how you know my daughter but since I am a reasonable man and I care about her happiness, I am not going to tell her anything about what happened at the station. I am only going to say this one time and one time only. I don't like you. If you ever try anything on my sweet princess, I will personally shove my boot so far up your ass that it will have to be surgically removed. Do I make myself clear?"

Miroku blankly stared at the officer. "Yes sir."

"Good, then at least we have somewhat of an understanding."

Miroku gulped with a nervous smile across his face, "Is he always so intimidating?"

Kohaku laughed, "Yes. Especially towards guys who want to date my sister. There _is_ a reason why she's never had a boyfriend."

Sango returned back into the room. "Lemme guess, dad gave him the speech."

Kohaku nodded. "Yep, and this time it involved a painful mention of both boots _and_ asses."

Sango focused her attention back on Miroku. "I'm sorry Miroku, sometimes my dad can be a little hostile, however, you are welcome to stay for dinner if you'd like."

Miroku grabbed Inuyasha's leash. "Thanks for the offer but I must get going. My parents are probably wondering where the dog is right now."

Sango nervously tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I see, but before you leave I need to get something."

Sango walked into the kitchen, returning back into the front room with a paper pad and a pen. She tore off two strips of paper. She began to write her phone number on one of the strips. She handed the strip of paper with the phone number on it to Miroku.

"Wait a minute, I thought you said you wouldn't give me your number?" He sarcastically remarked.

Sango blushed, remembering what she had said to him at Silent Pines. "I'd like to hang out again soon, if that's okay with you. But not a date though. Just as friends."

Miroku took the remaining blank strip of paper, scribbling in his own phone number. He handed the paper over to Sango.

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Sango smiled, her cheeks still slightly pink. "See you later then, Miroku?"

"Definitely." Miroku scooped Inuyasha off the ground. Moments later he was out the door.

Sango and Kohaku both looked out the front window, casually observing the way Miroku stuffed Inuyasha in the back seat before driving off.

Kohaku whispered to his sister. "Does he always carry his dog around like that?"

Meanwhile In the car, Miroku was trying his hardest to contain his joy. He gave the strip of paper with Sango's phone number on it a soft kiss. Today was a definite victory in his book.

* * *

[A/N] Well this chapter certainly took my pokey ass a long time to write. I wanted to work on pacing issues that weren't addressed in the previous chapters so that's why this chapter ran a little longer than usual. Apologies to any fans of our favorite red-clad half-demon out there. I wanted to add him somewhere in this AU but I didn't know how to handle having a canonically correct Inuyasha in this story, So I opted to make him a regular fluffy dog.

 **Krongarr cowers under the table** Please don't kill me fangirls! :(

I will be posting up chapter six soon, expect a small delay since I just started a new job after five months of being unemployed.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Metallica- Ride The Lightning**

 **Track 2: KISS- Love Gun**

 **Track 3: Tommy Tutone- 8675-309/Jenny**


	6. Girl Talk Guy Talk

Chapter 6: Girl Talk/Guy Talk

[Disclaimer: _This chapter and chapters from here on out will get very raunchy. If you don't want to hear about guys talking about their dicks, I suggest you skip this one. But, if you don't mind that kind of humor then by all means continue to read on._ ]

Sango lazily poked around the sticky rice in her bento. It was lunch time at St. Catherine's but she did not feel like eating all that much, mostly because she was nervous about her upcoming economics final. She hadn't studied as much as she originally planned on doing this time around. As valedictorian and VP of the student council, she had been swamped with upcoming preparations for prom and senior day, even though she had no intention of even attending her prom in the first place. Sango rubbed at the temples of her head. She tried not to think how bad she would choke on her test. She needed a distraction right now and she really didn't care where or who it came from. At times like these she wondered why she chose to eat lunch alone in the first place.

She surveyed the school cafeteria, everybody seemed to be either eating or deep in conversation. Sango scooped up a mouthful of rice with her chopsticks, realizing if she didn't eat at least some of her food she would regret it later. As she was trying to chow down her food, two girls had moved into the seats adjacent from her. Sango looked up from her lunch to find two pairs of large brown eyes staring back at her. The girls sitting across from her had serious up-to-no-good expressions on their faces. Sango was beginning to regret her wish for a distraction. Why of all people did the fates have to send her Amy Tran and Miranda Luna; the two biggest gossips at St. Catherine's? Sango shoved her bento box aside, not really wanting to know what kind of scheme the two popular girls had planned.

"Oh...Hi Amy, Miranda, I didn't see you two there." Sango addressed the two women across from her

Amy tossed her long, black, braid behind her shoulder. She grabbed a pocket compact and a cherry lip-smacker out of her purse. Staring into the mirror, she applied the glittery balm on her lips. Miranda followed a similar routine, only instead of applying lip balm she was making touch ups on her already caked-on eye makeup. Sango coughed when Miranda started to spray some very strongly scented perfume just above her chest.

Amy was the first to speak up. "So, Sango, you found a date for prom yet?"

Sango closed the lid on her bento box. "Amy, I already told you I'm not going. If you are trying to sell me a pair of prom tickets I'm not interested."

Amy smiled wickedly, "Really? That's a shame...wouldn't your boyfriend be disappointed?"

Sango arched an eyebrow. "What boyfriend? I don't have a boyfriend. You of all people should know that I don't date. Especially after all the times you two have tried to set me up with different guys, without my permission I might add."

"So, if you don't have a boyfriend would you care to explain who the hessian hunk in the Camaro was? I know he isn't your cousin by the way he was flirting with you. So, how long have you two been dating?"

Soon, another girl named Karen O'Brien joined in on the conversation with Amy and Miranda. All three of the girls looked eager to know the juicy details about Sango's supposed "boyfriend."

"So, are you going to tell us?" Miranda chimed in.

"What are we talking about again?" Karen asked, not quite clued into the subject at hand.

"Sango's bad boy boyfriend." Amy replied, whispering to Karen.

Sango crossed her arms, with her fingertips pressed to her forehead she let out a deep sigh.

"I don't know how you three came up with that hair-brained conclusion but I assure you, that _burnout_ is definitely not my boyfriend. Miroku is just a friend, nothing more."

Amy squealed, "Sango you're blushing. Omigod! You totally like this guy."

Sango furrowed her eyebrows into a scowl as her cheeks went even pinker. "I do not like him like that! Besides, he's not even my type. I like clean, sensitive guys; not perverted potheads who ogle my chest when I'm trying to talk to them."

As Sango continued her rant about her "not" boyfriend; Miranda moved behind her. She firmly grabbed Sango's chest, giving her boobs a soft squeeze. Sango quickly jumped out of her seat, her face was crimson from embarrassment. She quickly crossed her arms to cover her chest. "Miranda! What the Hell!"

Miranda laughed. "I can see why he couldn't stop staring, you do have a pretty fantastic rack."

Amy focused her attention back on the subject at hand. "So, what did you two even do yesterday? We all saw you get into his car."

Sango wrapped her bento box up in the cloth napkin she used to carry it. "We didn't do anything. He gave me a ride home since it was raining. I invited him in my house, we had coffee and small talk. That's it. Now can we please drop the subject?"

"Figures you would totally lead the guy on like that." Miranda scoffed.

Sango shot Miranda a confused glare, "Whaddya mean by " _lead him on_ "?"

Miranda sighed, "Sango, you don't invite a guy inside of your house and not expect him to think that he's going to get laid. You totally blue-balled this guy. He didn't offer you a ride home because he felt chivalrous, he gave you a ride home in hopes that you would let him fuck you, or at the least get a blowjob. He probably thinks that you are some kind of frigid bitch for not putting out."

Sango covered her embarrassed face with her hand as she mulled over the thought of getting intimate with Miroku. Although part of her was sick to her stomach for even imagining such perversions, the other part was oddly intrigued. Would her first time feel good or would it hurt? She had seen sex scenes as they were portrayed in movies, would it be like that? She imagined herself intertwined with Miroku, his lips not only kissing hers but elsewhere all over her body on sensitive areas like her neck and her ears. Would he sweetly moan her name while doing so? Sango snapped back into reality when she realized something wet was trickling down her hand, she pulled her hand away from her face. She was taken aback when she saw that her palm was covered with a small amount of blood.

"Sango you're not still a virgin are you?" Amy asked, noticing that Sango was hastily trying to wipe away her nosebleed with a paper napkin.

"Of course I am! What did you think?!" Sango snapped.

An awkward silence surrounded the group of girls.

Karen placed her hand on Sango's shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I haven't done it either."

Sango smiled, "Thanks Karen."

Miranda motioned over to Amy. "Come on Amy, we should leave the two virgins alone. Maybe they can start a knitting circle or something."

"Bite Me, Miranda!" Karen snarled.

Miranda cocked her head up. "Figures the two _virgins_ wouldn't have a sense of humor."

Once Miranda and Amy were out of earshot, Sango and Karen continued their conversation.

"Don't mind Miranda, Sango. Everyone knows how big of a slut she is. Rumor has it she's slept with the entire football team at Jefferson High."

Sango sighed, "I know that, but do you think what she said was true, y'know about my guy friend only wanting to be around me because he wants sex. I mean I don't like him in that way at all but I'd still like to consider him a friend."

"Did he try to come on to you at any point during his visit?"

"Well, no. He was very polite actually. Like I said before; conversation, coffee, done. We plan on hanging out again soon."

"I think you just found your answer, I don't know a whole lot about how guys think despite the fact that I have six brothers but I do know that a solid friendship knows no gender. Besides, who knows maybe if given time your friendship with him can bloom into something a little more intimate if you want it to. I think It's safe to say that you both are happy where you are right? So don't worry about it."

Karen's curly ginger locks brushed against Sango's cheek as Karen embraced her in a friendly hug, "Come on, we should head back to class, the bell is about to ring."

"Right." Sango nodded as she picked up her re-wrapped lunch. She would dispose of the leftover food once she got home that afternoon.

Once she settled back into her seat in the classroom, Sango began to feel the effects of not eating lunch. Her stomach was rumbling something fierce. At least the school-day was almost over. Karen's advice repeated over and over in Sango's head as she tried to concentrate on taking notes for her history assignment. Her concentration was interrupted by a paper airplane striking her in the back of the head. Sango reached behind her desk chair and unfolded the airplane, inside was a note telling her to look out the window. She leaned over the left side of her desk to where the window was. Outside she could see a group of five guys in letterman jackets from the neighboring public high school. Two of them stood on the hood of a silver Firebird sports-car, holding up a sign asking if the "babes" from St. Catherine's wanted to take them to prom. Sango rolled her eyes and went back to focusing on her assignment. She did not want to have any part whatsoever in prom fever. She looked out the window again. This time, Mother Superior was shooing away the teenage boys from campus with a water gun. Who knew that a middle aged woman in a habit could run that fast? Sango let out a laugh when the boys sped off in the car.

Sister Mary Frances; the nun teaching the history class shot Sango a death glare. "Is there something _amusing_ about the 51,000 soldiers that perished at the Battle of Gettysburg, Miss Sato?"

Sango slumped down in her seat. "No, Sister Mary Frances. Not at all."

Sango rested her head on her knuckles, she was more than ready for this school-day to end.

* * *

Miroku parked his car on the curb outside of Jimmy's house. He hoped the guys wouldn't be too cross with him for missing practice yesterday, after all he did have a damn good excuse. He reached behind the passenger seat, picking up his guitar case. Miroku stepped outside of the Camaro to lock the doors. He trudged up the long circular driveway of Jimmy's parent's Mc Mansion. Once he made it to the garage, Miroku tapped on the metal door five times in a rapid pattern, signaling to the guys inside to let him in. The garage door lifted open with a motorized creak. Jimmy and the other members of Mystic Lyzzard were sitting on the garage couch and in lawn chairs downing some beers.

Stony tossed Miroku a bottle of Coors from out of the igloo cooler. Miroku quickly caught it in midair, he grabbed the bottle opener off of his car keys to open the bottle. The bottle cap made an audible **pop** as it was opened. He slowly nursed the beer bottle, making sure that the contents inside didn't overflow from the opening.

Miroku sat down in one of the empty lawn chairs. "Hey guys, sorry I didn't make it yesterday."

Jimmy took a swig of his beer. "I would usually say don't worry about it but you know we need all the time we have to practice if we are ever going to meet our deadline to get the red stage at Meridian. I'm not angry, just a little cheesed off that you didn't even call us with a warning beforehand."

Andrew and Stony nodded in agreement with Jimmy.

"So what was so goddamn important that you completely flaked out on your bros for?" Andrew asked, fiddling around with the frets on his bass guitar.

Miroku slammed down the piece of paper with Sango's phone number on the pool table.

"Read it and weep, men!"

"Remember that really cute girl I told you about...the one I met at Silent Pines? Well I kind of ran into her yesterday as she was leaving school."

"So, what school does she go to, Jefferson High? Memorial High?" Jimmy asked

"Neither, I ran into her outside of St. Catherine's."

Jimmy's icy blue eyes lit up at the mere mention of St. Catherine's. Miroku knew that look all too well, Jimmy was about to go on one of his perverted tangents about slutty schoolgirls.

"Ah, so she's a Catholic schoolgirl? You did good dude, real good! Nothing gets my dick harder than a plaid skirt and knee socks. All I can see when a girl wears that uniform is a horny little cock-slut waiting to guzzle down my cum like it was the blood of Christ himself."

Jimmy playfully elbowed Miroku in the shoulder. "So, how was she? Was she a screamer? I bet she was a screamer."

"You did end up fucking her, right?"

Miroku rubbed the back of his head. "Well not exactly, she's pretty convinced on being just friends at the moment. I haven't even kissed her yet."

"So, if you didn't fuck her. Then what did you do with her?"

Miroku sighed. "Nothing, absolutely nothing. I gave her a ride home, we talked and had some coffee at her place. That's it. As enticing as screwing the sin out of Sango sounds, I'm going to take it slow with her. I think I can really see myself getting to know her on a deeper level. I'm serious about this one Jimmy."

"Stop it man, you're going to make me hurl with all of that sweet talk." Jimmy chortled, playfully holding his stomach.

Jimmy moved a couple of strands of his messy blond hair from out of his face when he regained his composure. "Jokes aside, I hope everything goes well with your chick. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't surprised when you mentioned you didn't do her. The Miroku _I_ _know_ would have already hit it and then some.

"You got that right. Then again, all four of us have had our fair share of sexual conquests." Stony piped in as he took a drag of his cigarette.

Stony glanced over at Jimmy. "Remember how you and Miroku were late to your own high school graduation because you two were double-teaming that one really hot big-tittied biology teacher in the janitor's closet."

Jimmy finished off his beer, sinking the bottle in the trash can through the cheap basketball hoop above it. "Ah, Leona Lundgren, it was worth the jail bait wait for _that_ anatomy lesson."

Miroku nodded, taking another beer out from the cooler. "That woman certainly did know how to suck a mean cock."

"You still never forget your first lay though, I remember mine like it was yesterday." Andrew said as he leaned further into the beat-up couch.

Stony snorted. "That's because it probably _was_ yesterday."

Andrew scowled at his friend's remark. "Fuck you Stony! For the record I've had lots of women, even though you three always poke fun at my "baby face" it's gotten me laid more times than I can count on both hands. In fact older women seem to love it." Andrew angrily chugged down his beer.

"Whoa, settle down Junior!" Stony retorted.

Miroku picked up the piece of paper with Sango's number on it from off of the pool table, he carefully stuffed it into one of the pockets on his vest.

"So, when are you going to see this Sango chick again?" Jimmy asked.

"Hopefully very soon, when we talked on the phone last night she said she would drop by my house sometime this week to pick up a copy of our demo tape."

"You think that's a good idea? Bringing a girl into your house, remember the last time you brought a girl over, your mom totally flipped her shit."

Miroku let out a nervous laugh. "Well to be fair, that girl was pretty drunk when I brought her over. I really wasn't expecting my mother to be up and about at two in the morning. Besides, Sango is a parent's dream, she's smart, polite, and the valedictorian of her senior class."

"So, she's pretty much out of your league then." Jimmy sarcastically quipped.

Miroku slugged Jimmy's arm. "Not cool."

Stony looked down at his watch. "Uh, guys, don't you think we should get started on practicing our instruments before it gets too late. I have work tonight, pizza ain't gonna deliver itself y'know.

Jimmy sighed as he picked up his guitar, "Alright, we can rip on Miroku later I suppose."

The guys spent the next two hours or so practicing the song list they were planning on using when they scored their gig at Meridian. Everything was going smoothly aside from the fact that Andrew was a little late on some of his bass notes. Soon it became dark outside so Stony had to call it quits. The three other members of Mystic Lyzzard waved goodbye to their drummer as he drove off in his dorky pizza delivery car. Jimmy had left the garage door open so they could have a view of the street while they chilled in the garage some more. Jimmy popped in one of his longer mix tapes into the stereo on the wall. He tossed a cue stick over towards Miroku. Miroku caught the cue stick in his hand.

"Stripes or solids?" Jimmy asked, racking up the balls on the table.

Miroku chalked up the tip of his cue stick "Solids."

The two of them were barely fifteen minutes into their game of eight ball when Miroku's little sister came running into the garage.

"Mom says she wants you to come home. You missed dinner again."

Miroku was still too focused on his game to really pay her any attention. "So, go back home and tell her that I'm not hungry."

Rin stood patiently with her arms crossed for a good ten minutes or so.

Miroku looked over at his little sister. "You're not going to leave are you?"

She shook her head. "Not until you come home."

Miroku let out a heavy sigh as he handed Rin his car keys. "Fine, just go wait in the car. I'll be out soon."

Miroku shook Andrew awake from his nap on the couch. "Andy, finish my game for me will ya."

Andrew nodded, taking the cue stick from Miroku's hand.

Jimmy patted Miroku on the shoulder. "I guess I'll see you later man."

Miroku was just about to say a goodbye of his own to Andrew and Jimmy when he was interrupted by Rin honking the horn. He waved goodbye to the guys before exiting the garage. Jimmy closed the garage door when Miroku made it inside of his car.

Once he was home, Miroku wasted no time to crash on his bed after raiding the fridge for leftovers. Regretfully, he needed sleep. Tomorrow he would have to return to Silent Pines. He glanced down at his clock radio. It was already a quarter til 11pm, much too late to get any phone calls from chicks at this hour. Dreading his departure for Silent Pines the next morning, Miroku fell asleep. He tossed the covers off of his bed as Inuyasha had crawled up next to him. The large dog was practically a walking furnace during this time of year. Shoving the dog's paw off of his arm, Miroku grinned in his sleep thinking about how nice it would feel to have Sango snuggled up next to him instead of a dog that scratches and snores throughout the night.

* * *

[A/N] whoo, sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up and running, I've had a serious case of writer's block for the past week and a half. Despite my crippling writer's block, my art ideas has been flourishing it's kind of weird how that works out most of the time. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll get around to writing and posting chapter 7...eventually.

 **80's Slang/General Glossary**

 **Hessian:** A very 80's centric term used to describe one who is a fan of heavy metal music. Usually involves people who dress in black and sport metal merchandise.

 **Hunk:** A hot guy.

 **Hurl:** to vomit

 **Bite Me:** Kiss My Ass.

 **Mc Mansion:** A large house made to resemble those inhabited by wealthy people. A staple of the 1980's upper middle class American family.

 **Jail bait wait:** the act of waiting until a teenager becomes of legal age before engaging in sexual intercourse. The most common legal age of consent in the United States is 18.

 **Blue-balled:** This is a term that describes what happens when a man is horny, yet never recieves sexual pleasure from his female companion, often times followed by the man "releasing himself" elsewhere.

 **Firebird:** A sports-car made by Pontiac motors, It was a really popular car among Jocks and Frat bros in the 1980's, they sometimes had a big mural of a bird with a large wingspan decorated on the hood of the car.

 **Battle of Gettysburg:** Often hailed as the bloodiest battle of the American civil war. Wikipedia it for more information.

 **Flipped his/her shit:** means to go ballistic, to freak out.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Pat Benatar- Hit Me With Your Best Shot**

 **Track 2: Skid Row- Youth Gone Wild**

 **Track 3: Mercyful Fate- Gypsy**


	7. Card Games

Chapter 7: Card Games.

Sango walked her ten speed bike to the porch of Miroku's house. Last night she had a short but pleasant conversation with Miroku asking about the demo tape he promised her. He said it would be perfectly fine for Sango to drop by his house after school as long as she didn't mind waiting for him to get back from silent pines later that afternoon. Luckily for her, his home was a mere three blocks away from hers. Miroku and his family lived on Dogwood lane, just three houses away from the fabled witch's tree and the even creepier abandoned house that stood on that particular property. Funny, she must have passed by his house a zillion times on her bike route but she never knew who lived in the light bluish-gray two-story house towering before her. She sat her bike against the white wooden cross-hatch fence of his front porch, careful not to crush the roses in the flowerbed next to it.

At times like these Sango wished she had a car of her own instead of a stupid bike. She had her license already and she knew how to drive fairly well but her father said he wasn't setting foot at a car dealership with her until she graduated high school. Sango understood his reason for making her wait for her ride, he wanted that milestone to be extra special for her. Sango walked up the front steps to the door. Lifting the bronze knocker on the door, she knocked a couple of times, patiently waiting for someone inside to answer. She rolled her shoulders back feeling a little nervous about entering Miroku's house as he had mentioned to her that his family was very traditional, as in shoes off in house; bow to your elders traditional. Sango hadn't used respectful honorifics in years as her family mostly spoke English in her home. Lucky for her, she never really forgot how to speak Japanese. Her parents made sure that she and Kohaku didn't forget their native tongue, mostly because of her relatives that would come to visit from the island around the holidays either spoke really broken English or did not speak English at all. Not to mention the fact that being bilingual looked really good on her college applications. Sango nervously wrung her hands as she heard the door knob turn. "well, here goes nothing."

A short preteen girl with layered black hair styled in a side ponytail answered the door. Sango realized that this girl must be Miroku's little sister, Rin. The preteen certainly looked like she would be his sister as they both had the same complexion and nose. Rin's eyes were different though, instead of a steely deep blue like Miroku's eyes, Rin's were a bright brown, similar to Sango's own eye color. The preteen was wearing what looked like denim shorts and a baggy off the shoulder orange and white striped shirt with a black tank top underneath. The kid was barefooted as it was to be expected of her to be inside the house.

"Can I help you?" the girl asked.

Sango cleared her throat, "Um, hi. I'm Sango, I'm a friend of Miroku's. Is he home right now?" Sango already knew that he wasn't home right now but what else was she supposed to say?

Rin looked down at her freshly painted nails, "Nah, he's still at the crazy place but he should be home in like 30 minutes or something, you're welcome to come inside and wait for him if you'd like."

Sango nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, that would be just fine."

The preteen gave Sango a toothy smile, pulling her into the house. "Great! I'm Miroku's sister Rin by the way."

"Well Rin, it's very nice to meet you. Your brother has told me so much about you."

The preteen let go of Sango's hand. "You're welcome to make yourself at home on the couch."

Sango removed her shoes, placing them by the front door next to Rin's sandals.

Rin took a spot next to Sango on the couch. Sango noticed that the preteen was eyeing her up and down. She crossed her legs, smoothing out the wrinkles in her school uniform skirt. Sango placed her hands elegantly in her lap as she looked around Miroku's living room. It definitely had a much different aesthetic from her own home. The way this house was decorated was a little too organized, almost like a professional interior designer lived there. From the faux flowers in antique vases to the artwork on the walls, everything matched perfectly.

"So, Sango do you go to a private school or something?" Rin asked, pointing to the school uniform Sango was wearing

"Yes, I'm actually a senior at St. Catherine's, why do you ask?"

Rin shrugged. "No reason, you just don't look like the type of girl that my dum dum brother usually brings home. You actually seem well, normal."

Sango wasn't sure what the young girl meant by that statement but she was nonetheless intrigued. "Oh, and how so?"

Rin gave Sango a puzzled look, could this Sango girl not know that her brother goes through girls like a goldfish goes through fish flakes?

"Well number one, you aren't dressed like some kind of over-made up floozy and number two you probably don't know that he goes through girls very fast. Like, they will be here one day and then he will never bring them over again. I don't know if he's actually dating these girls or what. But as soon as one leaves, more take their place. Everywhere we go there is always some girl that knows him."

"I see." Sango gripped the ends of her skirt, realizing that the nagging feeling she had about Miroku being a complete lech turned out to be true. He did seem a little overconfident when she first met him. Now it all made sense with the constant staring and the flirting he did with her. Maybe Miranda was right, maybe he had lured her here under false pretenses to try to get in her pants. As if she would ever let him touch her like that, it's not like they were even dating or anything in the first place.

"Yeah, he always has lots of girls calling the house too. It got so bad that our parents had to install an extra phone line just for him in his room. I've spied on his phone calls a couple of times, for a guy with a lot of girlfriends he seems to like phone sex a little too much."

If Sango had something to drink, she would have spat it out upon hearing Rin's remark about phone sex. Rin was way too young to know about that kind of thing. Then again kids these days weren't really all that innocent in the first place. One time she caught Kohaku not-so-stealthily trying to hide a copy of Hustler between a stack of comic books, he was probably around ten at the time of the incident. She shuddered to think how many more porno mags her little brother had hidden within the confines of his room now that he was much older.

"I do have to admit you are really pretty, no wonder my brother gets really antsy when he's on the phone with you. It's like he's nervous or something. There's none of his usual cheesy pick up lines or anything, just him pacing around his room fidgeting with the phone cord in his hand."

Sango tried to contain a giggle, Rin's plan to out her brother to one of his potential crushes was downright devious. She did have to admit, it was fun hearing the preteen gossip about Miroku.

Sango shot the preteen a devious smirk of her own. "Why are you telling me all this? Did he eat the last ice cream cone or did he hog all of the TV privileges?"

Rin was positively flabbergasted at her observation. "He did eat the last ice cream cone! How did you know?"

Sango cocked her head up. "I have a brother of my own so I kind of know these things."

Rin looked down at the floor, embarrassed at the fact that Sango wasn't as gullible as the other girls her pervert of a brother brought home.

* * *

Miroku parked the Camaro in his usual spot on the curb next to his house. At last, he was finally home. Today had been an extra brutal day at Silent Pines as it was arts and crafts day in the rec center. Once the patients were done crafting; they left an endless sea of glitter, glue, pipe cleaners, and popsicle sticks in their wake. Thank goodness Miroku decided to skip wearing his beloved battle jacket today as he was drenched from head to toe in multicolored glitter flakes courtesy of Billy and Hector, ultimately looking like some kind of walking disco ball. Jimmy and the guys would have a field day with the fag jokes if they could see him right now. He tried shaking out more of the flakes on the lawn; no good, that shit was stuck in his hair until he decided to take a shower. Fuck that, He wanted to get the unicorn scabies off now! Sango was probably waiting for him inside the house and he would be damned if she saw him like this. He crawled into the backseat of the Camaro, looking for one of the mini bottles of shampoo that he would occasionally snatch from motels. It was a complete mess in his backseat but he did manage to find an unopened bottle of shampoo nestled underneath the passenger's seat next to some old concert ticket stubs and an empty Pepsi can.

Miroku removed his black band shirt, shaking out some more of the glitter. He unraveled the water hose from it's perch on the side of the house. Miroku quickly unbound his hair, sticking the elastic in his jeans pocket so he wouldn't lose it later. He turned on the hose, the feeling of the cold water rushing over his scalp felt really relaxing to him. After pouring the contents of the tiny bottle of shampoo on his head, he began to lather up his hair. Once he was finished, Miroku rinsed the glittery lather off of his scalp. Turning his t-shirt inside out to the clean, glitter-free side, he dabbed his hair dry. Miroku crawled back into the Camaro to retrieve his pocket comb from the glove box. He stood in front of one of the rear view mirrors combing his hair back so he could retie it with his pony holder. He also needed to make sure that his water hose bath got rid of his glitter problem for good. Miroku took one last look in the mirror, so far everything looked okay. Only a tiny bit of glitter flecks had been left behind in his hair. He was sure once his hair dried some more, the remaining glitter flecks would eventually fall out.

Miroku wadded his damp t-shirt under his arm as he turned the doorknob of his front door. When he stepped inside the house to remove his shoes, he noticed a very familiar pair of black school loafers next to his sister's sandals.

* * *

The first thing Sango noticed when Miroku walked through the door was that the guy was shirtless and soaking wet. She tried not to gawk at his shirtless form but it proved much too difficult of a task. Miroku wasn't overly muscular but he was toned, really toned. She never really paid much attention to mens bodies before but something about seeing him in that state of dress had her really hot and bothered. His arms and defined abs were nice and all but she especially liked his chest. Sango soon found herself fantasizing about how nice it would feel to reach out and touch it. She scolded herself, Bad Sango! Why was she even thinking about him like that? This was no time to be eating whatever _eye candy_ he had to offer.

Miroku tried to focus his attention off of Sango's aforementioned Care-Bear stare. Ever since he walked through his front door, her eyes had not left his body. It was obvious that she wanted him. She wanted him bad. There was one problem though; would she be able to admit it? Based on what he knew about Sango, she was the type of girl that played hard to get. In layman's terms: she was a tease. Albeit a really cute tease, but still a tease nonetheless. Not that it fazed him since he was going to have just as much fun teasing her back. All Miroku needed to do was find out what kind of tick would set her off.

Miroku grinned, slicking back his bangs. "Like what you see, Miss Sato?"

Sango's blush darkened, she quickly moved her eyes to the floor. "I-I wasn't looking at that...If this is a bad time...I could..."

Miroku stopped her trail of thought. "No, no. It's not a bad time at all. I apologize for my lack of attire, my shirt had a run in with an unfortunate mess earlier."

Rin giggled. "Don't lie, Onii-chan. You just wanted an excuse to show off in front of her."

Miroku gave his kid sister a really hard but affectionate noogie. "Such a precocious little girl you are, Rinny-Poo."

"Ow that hurt you dick!" Rin squealed, removing her brother's knuckle from her head.

Miroku leaned over his sister on the couch and whispered in her ear. "Look Rin. I don't ask you for much but I'm begging you. Don't screw this up for me."

"What's in it for me?" She asked with a sly grin.

"I'll take you to to the park on Sunday to get a sno-cone, how does that sound?"

Rin shook his hand. "Deal."

Miroku turned his attention on Sango, who was now standing up beside the couch, lost in her own little world obviously trying to avoid looking at him. "Follow me upstairs, Sango, so I can give you the demo tape you requested."

Sango snapped back into reality. "Right! the demo tape, of course!"

Sango followed Miroku upstairs, her eyes planted firmly on his equally toned back. A little further down the hall Miroku stopped at his bedroom door. On his door hung a yellow diamond shaped sign that said "Keep Out." Next to the sign was a small poster of a scantily-clad zombie woman holding a machine gun between her thighs. Miroku turned the doorknob, opening the door to his bedroom. He turned around to face Sango.

"Well this is it, Casa de Miroku. watch your step coming in, the floorboard kind of sticks up. Wouldn't want you to..."

His warning fell on deaf ears as Sango tripped on the wonky floorboard, knocking both of them to the floor in the process, her tits firmly planted on his face. Miroku absolutely reveled in the sensation of her soft breasts smashed against his face but his favorite part of her body remained sadly neglected. In an instant he brushed his naughty hand up against Sango's ass. Part of her skirt had shifted in the fall so he was pretty much feeling the outline of her cotton panties. He gave her ass cheek a soft squeeze.

Sango's heart thumped wildly in her chest. What had just happened? One second she was about to cross the threshold into Miroku's room. The next second she wound up lying on top of him. It was already bad enough that he was shirtless to begin with, now she could actually feel the heat radiate off of his body. Despite the awkwardness of the situation Sango found the warmth of his body to be quite pleasant. Sango shook her head. No! She had to get off of him like, now. Just as she was about to scramble to her feet, she felt something equally warm rub her butt. She soon realized that Miroku was taking advantage of the awkward situation by feeling her up. Sango clenched her hand into a fist. "That pervert!" She would have to get back at him later for that, right now all that mattered was getting off of him and fast.

"Miroku, Would you mind removing your hand from my butt?" She hissed.

Miroku jerked his hand away from Sango's ass. "Sorry about that, I guess my hand slipped in the fall or something."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Right, pervert. Just try to keep it to yourself from now on okay?"

Sango rose to her feet, adjusting the parts of her uniform that got messed up during the fall. She stepped into Miroku's bedroom. It was a typical guy's room. Dirty clothes piled up haphazardly in the corner, a TV, a weight bench, posters of swimsuit models on the walls. Miroku had a little more of a macabre flair to his decorating than the average guy with all of the mini skulls, black lights, and heavy metal artwork on his walls. But all in all his room was definitely the domain of a dude. The last thing Sango noticed in Miroku's room was his guitar and amp perched against the wall next to his stereo, which was currently doing double-duty as a makeshift side table.

Once Miroku was off of the floor, he wasted no time to find a clean shirt to wear out of his dresser. This time instead of one of his usual black band-shirts he chose a fairly plain indigo colored t-shirt from his bottom drawer.

"You can take a seat on the bed if you'd like. I apologize for the lack of places to sit in my room. It's usually only just me in here."

"Oh, okay." Sango sat down at the foot of his waterbed, trying not to fall over. She wondered how in the hell he could sleep on something so unstable?

"Here it is!" Miroku handed over the copy of the demo tape he promised her.

Sango studied the tape in her hand, it was an exact copy of the master tape, the only difference being that this copy had a small heart on it drawn in permanent marker next to the band's name. How typical, even on something so mundane as a cassette tape he had to flirt with her.

Miroku sat down next to her on the bed. "Y'know I think you are the first girl I've ever burned a copy of that tape for. It's really rad that you are actually interested in my music, most girls who find out I'm in a band tend to cling on me just so they can get into free shows. Not you though."

Sango tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear, the sincerity of his observation was eating at her. It became clear that for reasons unknown she actually wanted to get closer to him but she knew she couldn't go through with it. In less than three weeks school would be over. Her college acceptance letters were already pouring in through the mailbox. The hopeful possibility of getting accepted into her dream school loomed on the horizon. If she got accepted in, there was no way she could possibly keep up a long distance relationship with Miroku without the fear of ending up completely heartbroken once she left him behind. She'd only known Miroku for a month or so but already she felt a strong bond towards him, something that went beyond mere platonic friendship. What would she say if he did ask her to be his girlfriend? More importantly, how would she be able to turn him down?

"Is everything alright Sango? You look spaced out." Miroku asked, concerned about his friend's sudden silence.

"I-it's nothing. Thanks for the tape. I really appreciate it."

Miroku smiled. "Glad you like it."

Sango noticed the spiral edge of a plain black sketchbook lying next to her thigh. She picked up the sketchbook, tracing the rough cover with her fingers. "Hey Miroku, what's this?"

"Oh, that's just my sketchbook of band logos and doodles. Just something I do in my spare time. Feel free to flip through it if you'd like."

Sango flipped through the pages of the sketchbook, pleasantly surprised that Miroku was actually a really good artist. His pen work was amazing, each one of the little details in the strokes were crisp and defined.

"These are really good Miroku, how come you're not in art school? With your talent you could already have a fantastic portfolio for advertising." Sango asked, setting the sketchbook back in it's original spot.

Miroku sighed. "I thought about it after I graduated but I realized, college isn't really for me. Art school seems nice but It's also terribly expensive. I'd rather just focus on my music."

"So, what do you do for a living? You must have a job or something, all this music merchandise and equipment probably isn't very cheap."

Miroku laughed. "No, it isn't cheap. Not in the slightest. That amp over there probably cost a little under $500 and the guitar I bought with it was even more expensive considering that it's a limited edition model. Hell, my first guitar was about the same price as the amp. As for a job it's simple, I make my money by being a psychic reader, fortune telling, that sort of thing."

Sango raised an eyebrow at his job description. "So basically, you're a con artist."

Miroku scowled at her. "I take great offense to that, the psychic arts are indeed real and if someone inexperienced tampers with the unknown, it can cause serious consequences."

Miroku's face softened into one of his usual peaceful grins, He couldn't stay mad at Sango but he could show her that his craft wasn't just smoke and mirrors either. Even though part of him refused to admit it, Miroku had always considered himself somewhat of a spiritualist. Maybe being raised as a Buddhist since childhood had something to do with it. He chuckled, perhaps he might have been a priest of sorts in a past life. Whatever the case, he truly enjoyed what he did. Years ago, Miroku found the art of psychic reading on a whim while trying to hook up with this one super cute new-age chick at the library. He never ended up scoring with the hot hippie but she did leave a long list of books and shops that he should check out. Once Miroku found out he had a real knack for divination, prophecy, and the like; he decided to do readings for profit.

"How about this, to prove I'm not a phony. I'm going to give you a reading right now. Take a seat on the floor, Sango."

Sango shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever you say o' great guru."

Miroku reached under his bed, grabbing a black suede drawstring pouch with a silver Om stitched on it. Inside of the pouch resided a deck of tarot cards and a couple of assorted power crystals. He shuffled the deck of cards around in his hand.

"Alright, so what do you want to know? Your reading could be about pretty much anything so feel free to take your time."

"I don't know, surprise me I guess."

Miroku rolled his head back, finishing up his shuffling of the cards. "Alright Sango, close your eyes and take three cards from the ones in my hand. Just three. When you are done, you can open your eyes and hand the cards back to me but don't look at them."

Sango nodded. Closing her eyes, she took three of the cards.

"Okay Sango, you can open your eyes now."

When Sango opened her eyes she saw that Miroku had horizontally lined all three of the cards face down.

Miroku flipped the first card over. The card showed what looked like to be a woman and a man toasting two glasses. "Ah, the two of cups. This one signifies a partnership of sorts, possibly hinting at a new relationship."

He moved on to the second card. This card showed a hand with a chalice that had five streams of water flowing from it, there was a bird hovering above the chalice with a wafer in it's mouth. "This is the ace of cups, this card signifies love, happiness, creativity and compassion. Positive energy and emotion will come your way, A new romance could be on the horizon."

Miroku was down to his last card. His heart skipped a beat when he realized what card it was. "This one is called "The Lovers" this card indicates an incredibly strong romantic bond formed between two people. Both the desire and the attraction of an individual dictated by this card suggests a very strong sexual connection that goes further beyond mere lust and instant gratification. Some would interpret this as finding your soul mate."

His eyes locked on hers with such passion and intensity unlike any other that Sango had ever seen. "When taking the two other cards into consideration; this reading is as clear as day. Sango; you are in love, true love."

The intense way Miroku was staring at her felt like it was enough to make her heart melt into her ribcage. Sure, she had a crush on him but could she truly be _In love_ with him? Sango never had a real boyfriend before for Christ's sake. Then again, no other guy had ever made her cream her panties like Miroku either. What was with her today, first it was the shirt and now this "reading" of his. The butterfly feeling in the pit of Sango's stomach increased as she felt the all too familiar sensation of blood trickling down her upper lip.

Miroku cupped her cheek with his gloved hand. "Sango, You're bleeding. Let me go get something for you to wipe that off."

Miroku locked himself in the bathroom. He raised his fist in the air letting out a very loud "YES!" He knew Sango was into him! The cards had not failed him this time, there was no mistaking her reaction. He was the one that the cards predicted she had fallen for. He yanked one of the washcloths out of the cabinet, soaking it with some of the running water from the faucet. As he wrung out the washcloth, Miroku looked at his reflection in the mirror. With a determined look plastered across his face Miroku decided it was now or never, he was going to make Sango his girlfriend. That was a promise!

* * *

[A/N] This chapter was originally a lot longer, so I decided to split it up in two chapters to avoid wall-o-text tl;dr insanity. Don't worry, chapter 8 should be up shortly. I just have to run it through a couple of more pairs of peepers. When I was doing research for this particular chapter, I had to consult an old friend of mine who actually does tarot readings for a living as I knew almost jack squat about how it works and all. Even though I am a pagan, I never really felt like I needed to learn tarot since it has little to nothing to do with my personal beliefs. I hope I at least got a basic understanding on how a three-card spread works. Even though this is a very modern non-magic AU, I still wanted to keep some aspect of Miroku's spirituality so I hope I succeeded in that regard. Also a big shout out to all that left reviews! You guys are freaking awesome! I'm super stoked that people actually enjoy my writing!

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Misfits- Teenagers From Mars**

 **Track 2: Billy Idol- Rebel Yell**

 **Track 3: Blondie- Heart Of Glass  
**


	8. Ball in the Friend-Zone

Chapter 8 : Ball in the Friend-Zone

Miroku made his way back to the room with the washcloth clutched in his hand. Thankfully, Sango hadn't left yet as she was sitting in the same spot in the middle of his bedroom. From the looks of it, she had done him a solid by picking his cards and crystals off of the floor, returning them into their designated pouch.

Miroku handed her the washcloth. "Here."

Sango wiped the now dried blood off of her face. "Is it gone?"

Miroku picked up the damp cloth from the floor. "Almost, you left a little spot right above your lip."

Miroku moved in closer to her face, the damp cloth ready in his hand. Instead of readying the cloth for contact with her skin he decided to move his face closer to hers, his lips hovering just mere centimeters from her mouth. Sango blushed as she closed her eyes. Just when he was about to kiss her, he was interrupted by a knock at the door. Miroku sighed internally, _well_ _that_ _moment is ruined._

Miroku answered the door, his mother was standing there with a huge brown bag of groceries clasped in her hand.

"Go, help Rin put up groceries, I have ice cream that needs to go in the freezer." she barked.

Miroku's mom took notice of Sango sitting in the middle of his bedroom. "Son, who's your friend? I don't think I've met her before."

Miroku introduced Sango to his mother. "Mom, this is Sango Sato, she's a volunteer counselor I met while at Silent Pines. Sango, this is my mother, Chieko."

Sango bowed to Miroku's mom. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hoshima-san."

"It's nice to meet you too Sango-chan, would you like to stay for dinner? That is after my children get done with the groceries."

"Dinner would be lovely, and if you wouldn't mind I can help put up the groceries."

"That's very kind of you to offer Sango-chan, but I think my children can manage the task just fine on their own."

With saying that last bit, Chieko left the room, not before handing her son the heavy sack of vegetables.

"You sure it's okay with your dad if you can stay for dinner?" Miroku asked.

"I'm sure he won't mind, granted I at least give him a call beforehand."

"Excellent! you'll really like my mother's cooking. If I'm not mistaken she's making steak tips and vegetables tonight for dinner. The phone is on the wall if you need to call your dad. I'll be back upstairs in a couple of minutes, okay."

Sango sat back down on the floor. "No problem."

* * *

Later at the dinner table Sango realized it had been quite sometime since she had a home-cooked meal like the one Miroku's mother had prepared for that evening. His mom was obviously a fantastic cook as every morsel on Sango's plate was seasoned to perfection. Usually when Sango herself tried to cook a lot of food at once, she would panic and screw up the recipe in some minor way, her guests would never know that she probably added too much salt or she overcooked the rice just a small bit but Sango would know. It was different when she cooked for her dad and Kohaku, those two had iron stomachs and would eat anything she cooked with no complaints whatsoever. Hell, they would probably eat dirt if someone sprinkled sugar on it.

Miroku's mom carefully set her chopsticks down next to her plate. "So, Sango-chan my son tells me you are still in high school, correct?"

Sango nodded. "Yes ma'am as a matter of fact I'm about to graduate in two weeks"

Miroku butted into the conversation. "Actually mom, Sango is valedictorian of her senior class at St. Catherine's."

Miroku's mom took the bait: hook, line, and sinker. Her eyes widened with surprise at her son's statement. She had to know if it was true. Not that she didn't trust the pretty girl sitting across from her but her son had a tendency to lie whenever it was convenient, much to her chagrin.

"Is this true Sango-chan are you really top of your class?"

Sango smiled, trying not to panic that Miroku had pretty much given a mental cue to his mom to quiz her. Small talk was definitely not one of her strong subjects, especially not when being watched by four pairs of eyes like she was some kind of museum exhibit.

"Yes, it's true. I plan on going to college in the fall, I've already received acceptance letters from most of my top choices."

The word "college" piqued Miroku's dad's interest. "Oh, and what school are you going to choose?"

"Well, I've already been accepted at UCLA and UCSD but I really want to get into Stanford, I haven't received a response from them yet but I have my fingers crossed that I'll get in."

"Isn't Stanford an ivy league school, those are pretty cutthroat to get into are they not? What do you plan on majoring in if you are accepted?"

Sango pushed her vegetables aside with her chopsticks, nervously trying to keep eye contact with Miroku's dad.

"I plan on majoring in criminal justice; then afterwards law school."

Miroku's dad clasped his hands. "Ah, so you want to be a lawyer?"

Sango nodded, "Yes, It's something I've wanted to do since I was a little girl."

He smiled, "Well Sango-chan, I wish you the best of luck on your future endeavors."

"Thank you, sir."

Just when Sango thought she was free from her pseudo-interview with Miroku's parents they threw a couple of more questions her way, this time his parents asked about her family life.

"So, what do your parents do for a living?" Chieko asked.

"Well, my dad is a constable for the San Diego police department and my mother unfortunately passed on about six years ago."

Chieko gasped, "You poor girl, It must be hard on you and your family to not have a mother around."

Sango politely giggled.

"Actually, it's not so bad. My dad does his best when he's off the clock. It's not easy raising two kids by yourself but somehow he manages to do so just fine."

After dinner was over with, Sango offered to help Chieko clean up. She declined her offer yet again so Sango figured it was time to head back home before it got too dark outside. Miroku decided It was for the best that he would walk her home. Even though their neighborhood was fairly safe, Sango was still a teenage girl heading home alone at night. Sango walked beside of him, her bike at her side. Miroku didn't really make much eye contact with her on the walk home as he was busy mentally rehearsing how he was going to ask her out before she walked through her front door. Once he got to her house, he stopped in his tracks. Usually he had no problem asking girls out, A few sweet words here and there and boom! The chick would end up naked under him and gone the next morning. But Sango was different, something about her made him fairly nervous. Maybe it was the fact that he actually had a legit crush on her. It had been ages since he had felt this way about a girl, in fact he couldn't even remember the last time he looked at a chick as something more than a quick screw. Somehow his feelings for Sango seemed so alien, so pure, that he was often dumbfounded on how to respond to them.

"Sango, I apologize about my parents at dinner, I had no idea that they would ask so many questions."

Sango glanced over at him. "You don't need to apologize, dinner was fine."

"But you looked so nervous answering their questions, I was worried."

Sango's grip tightened on her bike's handlebars. "Small talk is really not my forte."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "You talked to me just fine that day I gave you a ride home from school."

Sango smiled, a faint blush stained her cheeks. "Somehow, I wasn't nervous when it was just us. I can't explain it but I feel so relaxed around you."

Miroku nervously clenched his fists at his side, this was it. He was going to ask the big question.

"Sango, there's something I've been meaning to..."

Just as he was about to say it, he noticed Sango dig in the mailbox on the front porch. Her eyes widened when she pulled out a fancy looking red envelope. She knew exactly what was in it. Sango ripped the envelope open. Her heart panicked in anticipation as she opened the contents of the letter inside. When she finished reading the letter everything around her went silent.

"What's that?" Miroku asked her.

Sango sank to her knees. "I got in..."

"Huh?"

Sango scrambled back on her feet. "I GOT IN!"

She grabbed Miroku by the shoulders, her smile stretched from ear to ear. "Miroku I got in, I'm going to Stanford!"

Sango embraced Miroku in a hug, looking like she was almost about to cry. "I'm so happy I could faint."

Miroku returned her embrace, he could smell the faint scent of strawberries as her long ponytail brushed against his face.

"Congratulations, Sango."

Sango stepped away from him, wiping tears from her eyes.

"I'm sorry if I'm blubbering like an idiot. I'm just so happy that I got accepted. Now I know that all of my hard work did not go to waste. Now what was it you wanted to ask?"

Miroku gulped. _Shit! She's putting me on the spot. I can't ask her out now. Gotta make something up quick._

"I wanted to ask if you see any glitter in my hair, I think I got it all out earlier but I'm not so sure."

Sango brushed his bangs aside. "I don't see any."

Miroku scratched the back of his head. "Thanks. Well, I guess I'll be seeing you later, once again congrats on getting into your dream school."

Sango opened her front door. "Thanks for dinner and walking me home Miroku, I'll see you again soon."

Miroku walked off of the steps of her porch, waving goodbye as she shut her front door. His head hung low in defeat. How could he have been so short-sighted to not realize that once Sango went off to college that would be the end of any romantic relationship? There was no way she would go out with him now, she would be attending college in another city more than six hours away. He couldn't have her just for the Summer either because he would only want more. It wasn't enough for him that Sango was "just a friend". Fuck that platonic shit, he wanted Sango to be his girl. For once in his life he wanted to do the noble thing and date Sango before even making an attempt to bed her. Miroku punched a broken light post with his gloved hand out of defeat. Why was this eating at him so much, he should be happy that she got into the school that she worked so hard to get into right?

Miroku shook his head, he clearly wasn't thinking straight. Sango should have nothing but his utmost support on her endeavor, especially after all the rough shit that happened to her. As much as Miroku wanted her, Sango was first and foremost his friend and he had to respect that. While he continued to lament on his botched attempt to ask Sango out, the squirmy feeling in the pit of his stomach only intensified.

* * *

Miroku walked inside his house only to find his parents waiting for him on the couch with smiles beaming across their faces. His parents rarely smiled like that, rendering the situation all the more creepy. His dad patted him hard on the shoulder.

"Well done, son. Well done!"

"What did I do?" Miroku asked, dumbfounded at his father's out of the blue praise. Something was up; his father never praised him. The man was practically a human-shaped criticism tank.

"Just so you know, your mother and I approve."

"Approve of what?"

Miroku's dad grinned. "Of Sango, our future daughter-in-law."

Miroku sighed, "Dad, she's not my girlfriend, she's just a friend."

"Oh but she will be soon enough, lay that charm on her thick, but not too thick you hear me, otherwise you'll scare her off. I know you can do it! Just wait until my coworkers find out my son is going to marry a foxy lawyer!"

"Dad, I'm not going to marry anyone anytime soon."

Miroku's mom stood up from the couch.

"You better marry her, I want pretty grandchildren. That stuck-up Irma Ling is always going on and on about her grandchildren. I want to rub it in her smug face because mine will be prettier! What do you think Kyo, do you want them to have a church wedding or a traditional wedding, Ooh, we can dress her in one of my heirloom kimonos!"

Miroku could only sigh some more as his parents "planned" their son's future, they really knew how to make the situation of not being able to date Sango even worse.

"I'm going to bed. Goodnight." Miroku hollered, dragging his feet up the stairs.

* * *

Miroku plopped face down on his bed. He was about to doze off when he was woken up by the phone going ballistic on the ringer. He answered the phone, half expecting it to be some random chick that he pumped and dumped asking why he never called back.

"Hello?"

"Hey Miroku, It's Jimmy. Just calling in to check up on you. How did your dinner date go, you going steady with your chick yet?"

Miroku sighed into his pillow. "It wasn't even a date. And no, I'm still in the friendzone."

"What the hell happened man? You had this in the bag."

"College happened. Dude she got accepted into Stanford, I can't compete with that. You and I both know that long distance relationships never work out. What if she finds someone else and forgets all about me? More importantly; if that were to happen, how would I forget about her?"

"Fuck, you really have it bad for this girl dontcha'? I still say you should just cut to the nitty gritty and ask her out already. She may be innocent now but you and I both know what happens to girls once they get into college, especially an ivy league school known for rich assholes with daddy's money and babes on each arm."

Miroku scowled at his friend's remark. "I'm aware of that, Jimmy. Why do you think I'm on edge right now."

"Sorry I got a little side tracked there, I don't want to see one of my bro's all mopey and shit, makes me depressed just listening to it. But I do have good news!"

"What's the news?" Miroku asked.

"I got a phone call from Big Frank at Meridian, we got in. The red stage is ours, the other band they wanted declined the offer. Our gig is scheduled for Saturday July 15th We gotta kick our practice sessions into overdrive, Word has it there will be a primo talent scout for one of the big record companies in the area. Think about it man, Mystic Lyzzard could be the next big thing in metal."

"That's amazing that we got the stage! Thanks man, this just made my suck-ass day 100 times better."

"Hey, what are friends for right. Anyways I gotta go I have a girl waiting in the other room that's in need of some serious lovin' from the J-man. Catch you later Miroku!"

With saying that, Jimmy hung up the phone on his end. Miroku crawled back into bed. Messing around with his tarot deck, he pulled the lovers card out from the top of it. He stuck the card back into the pouch, tossing the pouch back under the bed. He wondered if Sango had him on her mind because she was still on his. Miroku motioned for Inuyasha to go to bed. The dog crawled into his usual spot as Miroku turned off his side table lamp. Soon both of them were conked out cold.

The next morning Miroku woke up two hours early before his usual departure for Silent Pines. Miroku took a quick glance in the mirror, his hair was kind of greasy on account of the cheap motel shampoo. He hurriedly rushed to the upstairs bathroom to shower before Rin woke up to get ready for school. After his shower Miroku took his sweet time getting dressed. Dragging his slowpoke ass down the stairs, he decided to make a fresh pot of coffee. For some odd reason his time at Silent Pines had actually grown on him. Hector and Billy were chill as fuck to hang with and the sense that he was actually doing something with his time felt somewhat rewarding. Miroku had about four weekends left before his community service term was over with so after Silent Pines was history, he decided to look for a real part time job. His psychic reading stuff was doing well but each session barely lasted thirty minutes at most, leaving him bored the rest of the day. Miroku scanned the classified ads in the newspaper, circling the places he would call to see if they were still hiring. He figured he could do a graveyard shift somewhere that way he still had daylight to practice with the guys. Only one problem, would his new manager let him have weekends off? If he couldn't have weekends off then that was a definite deal breaker.

Miroku finished his pot of coffee and the frozen blueberry waffles he had in the toaster. Looking at the clock, he noticed it was about time to leave so he grabbed his keys off the table and headed out towards the door.

After being stuck in morning Traffic, Miroku made it to Silent Pines with 15 minutes to spare. Billy and Hector pulled up right beside him not even two minutes later. Those two guys had recently started carpooling with one another to save gas as they were both southsiders who lived in close proximity to one another. They really had to get here fast because traffic on the southside was the pits.

Hector and Billy stepped out of Billy's beat up Dodge truck. Once they were in the facility with keys in hand they decided to horse around before all three of them had to go on the golf green to pick up the trash from the PGA tournament over the weekend.

"Hey Miroku, you got all the glitter out!" Billy exclaimed, unlocking the custodial shed.

Miroku popped Billy on the head. "Yeah, no thanks to you two dickweeds. I had to take a bum bath in the garden hose because I had Sango over that day."

"You still trying to get with that counselor girl? I thought you were already dating her." Hector asked, poking an empty package of reeses pieces off the putting green.

"I may not be dating her but I did get to motorboat her tits yesterday, although it was an accidental motorboat."

Billy emptied his poker in his trash bag. "How the fuck do you "accidentally" motorboat someone?"

Miroku feathered back his bangs, already drenched with sweat from the SoCal heat.

"She tripped on the floor and her tits landed right on my face. So while she was shocked that she landed on top of me I rubbed my face all up in them. I also felt up her ass too."

Billy gave Miroku a high five. "Damn, you got lucky! Second base already and you aren't even dating the chick."

"Who says you need to date a girl to fuck her? Hell, I haven't formally dated a girl in over four years."

Hector laughed. "Shit, you some kind of Casanova or something?"

Miroku threw an empty big gulp cup in his trash bag.

"I dunno, there's a good possibility but I ain't nowhere near legendary status yet."

Hector emptied out his trash poker. "Me and Shaggy are going to Tijuana for cheap beer and smoke after our shift is over on Saturday, you wanna come too? There's an extra seat in the truck. With you and white boy over there there's no way we will get pulled over by border patrol. We look more like the Burger King kid's club than a trio of stoners."

"It's tempting but I think I'm good, last time I had Mexican booze it didn't go so well.

Hector shrugged his shoulders. "Ay man, it's cool but you don't know what you're missing."

The three guys horsed around until it was time to go home. Miroku looked out the rear view mirror of his car as he left the facility. Four more weekends and he would be done with Silent Pines forever. At least he got Billy and Hector's numbers for future adventures. It's funny how something as mundane as a mandatory community service stint grew on him. He was really gonna miss that place.

* * *

[A/N] Sorry it took so long to update with chapter 8, I've been swamped for the past week with art commissions and supply shopping for one of my upcoming fan comics. I apologize if this chapter is kind of boring, I just realized that most of it is dialogue. I will probably post a revised version hours after this chapter has been uploaded because I'm weird like that, Oh well. I plan on updating the thumbnail of this fanfic pretty soon, I did a pencil sketch of the two main characters that's in the works for a coloring job. I Will update with chapter 9 when I get the urge to write again.

 **80's slang/General glossary**

 **Primo –** Awesome; really great

 **Pump and Dump** \- No strings attached sex; synonym of **Hit it and Quit it.**

 **Foxy –** More of a 70's term, means attractive; hot

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Eddie Money- Think I'm In Love  
**

 **Track 2: Whitesnake- Is This Love** **  
**

 **Track 3: The Clash- Should I Stay Or Should I Go  
**


	9. Nocturnal Fantasies Daytime Realities

Chapter 9: Nocturnal Fantasies and Daytime realities.

[Disclaimer] This chapter goes lemon/rule34/whatever the fuck it's called very early on. If you have an aversion to reading smut I suggest you skip the first part of this chapter. If you don't mind this sort of thing then by all means continue to read on.

 _His snoring was interrupted by the feeling of a warm weight on his chest. Groggily, he opened his eyes to find her straddled on top of him, feminine fingertips ran through his disheveled dark locks._

 _The girl smiled at him "So, you're awake now."_

 _Miroku quickly sat up; confused as to why she was here at this hour. "Sango, what are you doing here, shouldn't you be in school right now, more importantly how did you get in my house?"_

 _She pressed her index finger to his lips. "Hush, none of that matters now, after all it is my last day of school and in all fairness I'd rather spend it with you."_

 _Sango traced the collar of her school uniform sweater vest. "This uniform, it entices you does it not?"_

 _Miroku gulped. "Well, yeah."_

 _Sango grabbed his left hand, placing it against the swell of her breasts. "I want you to remove it."_

 _His eyes widened in shock at her sudden request. "Pardon?"_

" _Remove my uniform Miroku and fuck me like the naughty little schoolgirl of your fantasies."_

 _Miroku smirked. "If that is what the lady wishes."_

 _Miroku tilted her chin up, placing kisses on her delicate neck, gradually moving upwards until he reached her soft pink lips. His kiss was forceful at first, then softer as he parted her lips. He gently nipped her bottom lip with his teeth, pulling back from the kiss, all the while his hands were busy kneading the soft flesh covered with the textured wool of her sweater vest. Panting, he untied the decorative ribbon around her collar._

 _After throwing the ribbon on the floor, he grabbed the hem of the sweater vest and lifted it over her head, revealing the fitted white button-up blouse she wore underneath. Sango pulled him closer, hungrily claiming his lips once more while he unbuttoned her blouse with tremendous ease. Miroku pushed the blouse off Sango's shoulders, all that stood in the way of his first peek of her tender flesh was a thin, lacy, white brassiere. He could see the outlines of her erect nipples through the semi-sheer lace. Miroku reached his hands around her back for the clasp, removing the delicate lace undergarment from her body._

 _Sango quickly covered her naked breasts with her arms._

" _Not until you take off yours too." she said, pointing out the fact that Miroku still had his t-shirt on._

 _Miroku groaned as he lifted his shirt over his head. "Is that better?"_

 _Sango blushed, biting her bottom lip as she gave an approving nod at the sight of his bare chest. "Uh-huh."_

 _She gently traced the contours of his chest and abdomen with her fingers. Her eyes shifted downwards when she reached the apex of Miroku's toned thighs, blushing at the erection tented in the fabric of his boxer shorts. Curiously, she touched the tip. Sango innocently brought her index finger to her lips._

" _May I?" she asked._

 _Miroku grabbed at the elastic waistband of his boxer shorts. "Here, let me help you." he said, quickly sliding the bothersome underwear off of his body._

 _Sango trailed her fingers up and down the shaft of his hardened cock. Miroku jerked his head back trying not to let out any premature groans as Sango kissed the tip._

 _Miroku chuckled. "You've never done this before have you?"_

 _Embarrassed, Sango shook her head. "Is it that obvious?"_

" _Well yeah, but by all means continue what you were doing."_

 _Sango licked upward from the shaft to the head. Tucking her loose hair behind her ear she wrapped her lips around him, it was a tight fit as her mouth happened to be on the small side but she made it work to her advantage. Gradually, she moved her head up and down. Miroku jerked his head back in ecstasy once more, this time letting the grunts and moans take their course._

" _Fuck Sango. So good." he moaned._

 _Sango's pace quickened, he was pleasantly surprised that she had gotten the hang of fellatio so quickly. Miroku let out an almost primal growl from the back of his throat as Sango swirled her tongue around harder. Feeling like he was ten seconds away from exploding in her mouth he had to do something and quick. Miroku grabbed hold of her long ponytail, pulling her free from his engorged cock. Unfortunately, his course of action arrived a little too late as Sango's face ended up completely drenched with his sticky release._

" **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!"**

Miroku jolted from his slumber as his alarm clock went off. He pounded the snooze button on the clock radio with his fist.

 _Damn alarm, and just when it was about to get good too._

Without a doubt his erotic dream had been on the intense side. He soon realized that maybe it might have been a little too intense as the spot where his blanket covered his crotch was soaked all the way through. Miroku quickly rushed to his feet, covering his crotch with his hand as he bolted out of his bedroom, heading for the bathroom in the hallway.

Outside of the bathroom door, he could hear Rin blow-drying her hair. Miroku knocked on the bathroom door.

"Rin, could you hurry up in there. I need to use the bathroom."

Rin temporarily shut off the blow-dryer. "Can't you see I'm busy right now? Just go use the one downstairs."

Miroku groaned as he ran downstairs, he hoped the bathroom there was empty as well, otherwise he would have to find somewhere else to jack-off his morning wood.

Miroku made it to the downstairs bathroom. Thankfully, it wasn't occupied by one of his parents. He lifted the lid of the toilet seat, figuring it would be easiest if he pumped his dick in the toilet rather than doing it in one of the towels from the cabinet. Of all the times that Rin had to hog the upstairs bathroom this had to be one of the worst since the hidden hole in the cabinet where he hid his porno mags and lube happened to be upstairs in that bathroom. All that was in this bathroom were his moms bath beads, perfumes, and all that other girly shit. He could have lubed himself up with some of his mom's perfumed lotions but he'd rather not have his nether region smell like lavender and sakura blossoms.

After he was finished in the bathroom, Miroku went back upstairs to get dressed. His impromptu wet dream had been correct about one thing, today really was Sango's last day of school. He decided to meet her in his usual spot outside of the school gate when she got out. Although the two of them were clearly not an item they still set aside plenty of time to enjoy each others company. The walk home from St. Catherine's happened to be one of his favorite daily activities, aside from the fact that Sango slapped him hard every time he tried to rub that fantastic ass of hers under that delightfully short plaid skirt. Miroku looked at the clock in his room, it was almost an hour til' noon. Usually, Sango was dismissed from school at 2:30 but today happened to be an early dismissal so she would get out at noon instead.

Before heading on the right path to Sango's high school, Miroku stopped by the mini mart to pick up a bouquet of roses as a graduation present for Sango. He wouldn't be able to make it to her graduation ceremony over the weekend since he would be stuck at Silent Pines, so he figured he would surprise her with the roses today.

Miroku made it to the front gate of St. Catherine's with fifteen minutes to spare. He leaned against the wrought iron fence, slowly spinning the bouquet of red roses in his hand.

* * *

Sango stared at the clock ticking away in her homeroom class, In fifteen minutes she would be done with high school forever. Today had been a day of pure celebration, the nuns and Father Matthew threw each senior homeroom a pizza party to celebrate the upcoming graduation ceremony. Each classroom was decked to the nines in gold and black balloons, streamers, and party favors. The desks were pulled together with lots of fresh sweets and cakes. "Congratulations class of 1985" was written in multicolored chalk on the chalkboard. Sango focused her attention off of the clock and on to her friends Miranda, Amy, and Karen. The three girls were staring out the window and into the street.

"Hey Sango, your boyfriend is here." Amy teased.

Sango huffed. "How many times do I have to tell you that he's NOT my boyfriend."

Sango looked out the window to see Miroku standing in his usual spot, peering down at his watch waiting for the dismissal bell to ring. It looked like he was holding something in his right hand but she couldn't quite make out what the item was.

"Sango you are so lucky to have a guy who cares enough to walk you home every day." Karen pouted.

Sango tried not to snort at her friend's sentiment. Karen would probably think that Miroku was a complete sleaze if she witnessed his "busy hands" for herself.

"What happened to David, did you guys break up?" Sango asked her down-in-the-dumps friend.

Karen crossed her arms. "David is a pig."

"Why, what happened?"

"David stood her up for another girl." Miranda nonchalantly blurted out.

"Miranda! I told you not to tell anyone." Karen whined.

Sango patted Karen on the shoulder. "I'm sorry to hear that, Karen. He seemed like such a nice guy too."

While Sango was trying to talk to Karen about her troubles, Miranda and Amy had managed to open the window of the classroom by picking the window lock with a bobby pin. They quickly yanked Sango away from her conversation.

"What the Hell are you doing?" Sango shrieked as the two girls shoved her in front of the window.

" **Hey Loverboy, looking for this?"** Amy yelled as she pushed Sango out of the window, catching Miroku's immediate attention. He hastily rushed over to catch Sango before she fell in the gardenia bushes below. He dropped the bouquet of roses on the grass before he managed to catch her fall in a bridal carry.

"Well, isn't this a nice surprise. It's not everyday that the gods decide to throw beautiful women at me." he smirked, setting her back on the ground.

Amy threw Sango's backpack out the window. "Now get out of here you two, go now, shoo. Have fun!" she playfully gestured, shutting the window once more.

Miroku picked up the backpack and the roses lying on the grass. He handed the backpack to Sango. She shrugged the backpack on her shoulders.

In the window Sango's friends were casually observing his every move. The girls ducked down when he looked up at them.

"Your friends seem like a lively bunch of girls. I nearly had a panic attack when they shoved you out of that 2nd story window. Do they always pull stunts like that?"

Sango sighed, "You don't even know the half of it."

"What are the flowers for?" she asked.

Miroku placed the bouquet in her hand. "For you of course. Congrats, graduate!"

Sango blushed. "Thank you Miroku, they're really lovely."

Miroku smiled. "Glad you like them."

The two of them walked along the usual path to Sango's house, idly chatting along the way. Although she had to put up with constant "boyfriend" jokes from Amy and Miranda, Sango really enjoyed her daily walks home from school with Miroku, aside from his occasional busy hand of course. When she realized that today would be the absolute last day that they could walk together like this, Sango felt a little depressed. Sure she could always visit with him at his house now that school was out but it wouldn't be the same.

Sango opened her front door using the key she kept tucked away in her backpack.

"Do you want to come in and hang out for a bit? It's just me and Kohaku home right now. We could take turns playing video games or we could watch TV."

Miroku reluctantly declined her offer. "I'd like to but I have to get back home. There are some things I need to take care of."

Sango stood in the open doorway. "Oh, okay. I guess we can hang out some other time."

"Call me later, Sango?"

"Of course, same time as usual?"

Miroku nodded. "I'll be looking forward to it. Later, Sango."

Sango shut the front door, stepping into the front room. Kohaku sat in his usual spot on the couch, video game controller in his hands, Kirara perched on his shoulder, and an open bag of funyuns in his lap.

"What's with the flowers, sis?" he asked.

"Miroku gave them to me as a graduation gift. Now do you know where dad put the flower vase last?"

Kohaku paused his game. "Probably under the kitchen sink."

Sango opened the cabinet doors under the sink, moving around a few household items before she found the vase at the back of the cabinet. She filled the vase up with some water and cut the stems of the roses to where they would stick out of the vase just right.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed, placing the roses in the center of the kitchen table.

Sango joined her brother on the couch. "So whatcha playing?"

"Ninja fighter. I'm about to beat the final boss."

The game made a whirring sound as the screen went blank, flashing a large "GAME OVER"

"What the crap! I had him." Kohaku pouted.

"So where's Miroku at? Doesn't he usually stick around until dad tells him to get lost."

"He said he had some important things to do today." Sango said, digging through her backpack for some of the candy she had stashed away from the party at school. Instead of finding candy, she found the graduation invitation with her senior picture in it that she meant to give to Miroku when he arrived to walk her home.

Sango pulled her backpack over her shoulders "Kohaku, I have to take care of something, I'll be back In a little bit. Make sure you lock the door when I leave, okay?"

Kohaku gave her his word. "No problem, sis."

Sango headed towards the back door to retrieve her bike from the porch. Walking her bike beside her, Sango lifted the latch on the back gate. Closing the latch, she hopped on the bike, speeding off in the direction of Miroku's street.

Sango knocked on Miroku's front door and Just like last time, Rin answered the door.

"Rin, do you know where Miroku is?" Sango asked.

Rin rubbed her sleepy eyes. Sango had apparently disturbed her nap with her insistent knocking.

"Onii-chan is not here at the moment, he's at Jimmy's place."

"Can you tell me how to get there?"

Rin yawned. "Sure, it's right down the street, look for the really big fancy house with the circle driveway. He should be in the garage. Knock five times to let the stupidheads know to let you in."

Sango shook Rin's hand. "Thank you so much, Rin."

Sango pedaled her bike down the street until she finally reached Jimmy's McMansion. Rin wasn't kidding, this house really was big. Sango walked her bike up the circular driveway, stopping at the garage where Rin said that Miroku would probably be at.

* * *

Andrew nudged his friend's shoulder. "Come on man, do it! Say the line."

"i don't want to, it hurts my voice when I try to get it that high." Miroku complained.

"But you're the only one that can do the voice right. I'll give you five bucks."

Miroku took a deep breath before yelling the infamous line from Sixteen Candles.

" **OH SEXIII GIIIRRLLLFRIIEND!"**

Miroku coughed. "Alright, now pay up little man."

Andrew beamed as he handed the crisp five dollar bill over to his friend. "Totally worth it."

Miroku slumped back on the couch. "I can't believe I just sold my dignity for five bucks."

Inside of the garage, the four members of Mystic Lyzzard were doing what they usually did in the afternoon; getting stoned. Stony had recently purchased a new bong and the guys were busy testing it. Smoke filled the entire garage as each guy took their hits.

"Hey Jimmy, what's with the skirt? Isn't it a little early to be dressed up as Rowdy Roddy Piper for Halloween?" Stony snorted, pointing to his friends questionable choice of attire consisting of a black band tee, a forest green tartan kilt, and a pair of raggedy black combat boots.

Jimmy crossed his arms. "It's not a skirt, it's a kilt."

Miroku took another hit from the bong. "Okay, what's with the kilt then?"

"My mom volunteered me to help organize the highland festival in Irvine this weekend, she insisted that I wear clan McSpadden's traditional tartan. At first I tried to weasel my way out of it but she's pretty much making me go this year. Although I do have to say the Scotsmen were smart when they made these things, it's actually quite comfortable to wear, a little breezy but still comfy."

The conversation about Jimmy's outfit ended when the guys heard their secret knock at the garage door.

Miroku stood up from his spot on the couch. "it's probably Rin, I'll go tell her to get lost."

Jimmy pressed the button on the wall to open the garage door. The band members were surprised to find that instead of Miroku's little sister, outside of the door stood an older Asian girl dressed in a school uniform. She coughed as the smoke from the garage escaped outside. Jimmy quickly grabbed the can of air freshener from one of the garage shelves and began spraying as Miroku approached the girl.

"Sango, what are you doing here? Not that I want you to leave or anything. Please come in."

Sango stepped inside the garage. The air-freshener didn't help much as the thick smell of pot mixed with motor oil wafted against her nose.

Miroku introduced her. "Guys this is my friend, Sango."

Sango politely waved at the three strangers. "Hello."

"Sango, these are my bandmates. The grump behind the drum kit is Stony, The guy half asleep on the couch with the guitar on his lap is Andrew, and the dork in the skirt is Jimmy."

Sango took a good look at Miroku's group of friends. Burnouts, the lot of them. She noticed the blond one in the kilt unabashedly eyeing her up and down. _Oh great, another pervert._

Jimmy shook Sango's hand. "It's not a skirt, it's a kilt. Anyways, it's nice to finally meet you Sango."

"Likewise." she responded.

"So, what brings a cutie like you by my garage today?" Jimmy asked, sending Sango a flirtatious wink.

"Actually, I'm here because I forgot to give something to Miroku earlier."

"Excuse us for a moment, Jimmy." Miroku led Sango out of the garage and into the driveway.

Sango dug into her backpack and pulled out the envelope with the graduation invitation inside of it, she handed the envelope to Miroku.

Miroku studied the envelope. "What's this?"

"I know you can't make it to my graduation on Saturday but I thought you might still like the invitation since it has some of my senior pictures inside of it."

Miroku opened the envelope, finding the both of the pictures tucked neatly in the invite. One of the pictures was her senior cap and gown pic and the other one was just a regular school photo of Sango in her school uniform. He tucked the invitation into one of the pockets on his vest, taking extra care not to crease it.

"I appreciate you coming all this way to give me an invite. Your pictures look amazing."

Sango closed the latch on her backpack. "You really think so? I think the school photo one looks a little weird, like I had a deer in the headlights look on my face when the camera flashed."

"But I like that one the best. It didn't look weird at all." Miroku objected.

"In fact, I think you look really cute."

Sango's cheeks flushed pink. "Miroku, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

Sango's foot traced small circles in the cobblestone of Jimmy's driveway. "Well, since you don't have to go to Silent Pines on Sunday. I promised Kohaku I would take him to the indoor arcade on the pier that day. Would you like to join us? I-it's not like a date or anything so don't get the wrong idea."

"Sure, I'd love to. Do you want me to pick you guys up or should I meet you at the spot?" he asked.

"Whatever is fine with you, I guess. Just be sure to give me a call first okay?"

"No problem."

Sango unlocked the kickstand from her bike. "I better head back home, I seriously doubt Kohaku remembered to lock the door. See you later, Miroku."

Miroku watched as Sango sped off down the street on her bike, skirt flapping behind her in the breeze. He gawked at the unexpected pantyshot before heading back into the garage.

Jimmy closed the garage door once Miroku was back inside. Moving Andy's feet out of the way, Miroku plopped down on the last vacant cushion on the couch. For some odd reason the garage was completely silent aside from Andrew thumping the strings on his bass.

"Why is it so quiet in here? I was only gone for ten minutes."

Jimmy laughed as he leaned against the wall, "Alright, I can't hold it in anymore. Whatever went on outside was **painful**. Are you some kind of fucking moron, Miroku?"

Miroku jerked up from the couch. "What exactly are you trying to say Jimmy?"

"I'm saying you're an idiot for keeping a choice babe like that in the friend-zone. Good God man, you said that Sango was cute but she's smoking hot! She's like Playboy hot!"

Miroku thumped his friend on the forehead. "What did you think? that I would fall for some plain-Jane chick with a personality as appealing as rubber cement."

"I know I've said this once but you gotta ask her out man! Once she's in college who's to say that her cherry won't be popped by some nouveau riche asshole driving a Ferrari."

Miroku rolled his eyes at Jimmy. "Do we really have to have this conversation again? I swear you and your damn one-track-mind."

Stony tapped the snare on his drum kit. By the look on his face he was just as annoyed as Miroku was with Jimmy's lecture about girls.

"Goddamn, you two are worse than a bunch of chicks with all of this mushpuff talk! Are we going to play or what?"

Miroku picked up his guitar from behind the couch. Stony was right, now wasn't the time to be thinking about girls.

* * *

[A/N] I don't really have much to say this time around. I did however, find out the hard way that I am much better at drawing rule34 than writing it. I'm still working on the updated version of the cover pic, I recently had to re-install my tablet driver as it somehow disappeared with the last windows update. I also decided to give this story more of an authentic 80's vibe by adding a "mix tape" of sorts after each author's note. I updated the previous chapters with mix tapes as well. I should post chapter 10 up soon as I have already started on the draft version.

 **80's Slang/General Glossary**

 **Mushpuff-** Meaning lovey-dovey feelings. Used most commonly in describing "girl talk"

 **Sleaze-** A guy who preys on women; a lecher.

 **Rowdy Roddy Piper-** A pro wrestler who was famous in the 80's for donning a kilt in his faux Scotsman stage persona. He was really from Canada or some shit.

 **Sixteen Candles-** 1984 teen flick that starred Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall. Started the beginning of director John Hughes' "Brat Pack" era.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Aerosmith- Rag Doll**

 **Track 2: Cyndi Lauper- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun**

 **Track 3: Talk To Ya Later- The Tubes**


	10. First NOT Date

Chapter 10: First NOT-date

That Sunday morning, Sango woke up to the sound of someone cooking in the kitchen. Yawning, she crawled out of bed, confused as to who was cooking downstairs as her dad had mentioned that he had to go to the station that morning. The only other plausible scenario could be that Kohaku was cooking something up. Only one problem; Kohaku didn't cook. In fact, his cooking skills were ten times worse than hers. The kid couldn't even make boxed macaroni and cheese without ruining the pot by burning it to hell afterwards. Sango's stomach grumbled as she sluggishly walked down the hall. Whatever was cooking in the kitchen smelled amazing, although a little on the pungent side compared to the breakfast foodstuffs she was used to cooking.

 _Maybe dad decided to take a day off._ Sango wondered, her eyes still partially closed as she let out another yawn, stretching her arms above her head.

"I don't suppose you have coffee ready?" she asked the person cooking on the stove, not really paying attention to who was wielding the spatula.

"Well good morning to you too sunshine!" A masculine voice sarcastically answered back.

Sango's eyes snapped open. _That voice...that's not my dad._

Sango took a step back, almost losing her balance when she realized who was at the stove. "Miroku, what are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming til' noon."

Miroku flipped the contents of the skillet with the spatula.

"What? a guy can't show up at 8am to make breakfast for his best friend and her little brother. Come on Sango, I thought you knew me better than that."

Miroku took a good look at his friend, she had apparently just rolled out of bed as she was still in her pajama bottoms and her hair was a rat's nest of tangles. Somehow the bedhead made her look even cuter to him. For a brief second he daydreamed about what it would feel like to wake up to that sleepy face every morning. That thought was quickly nixed when he noticed something far more interesting than her messy hair.

Miroku's eyes locked on Sango's chest, she was wearing a thin, white, lace-trimmed camisole with nothing underneath; showing every curve of her perky breasts.

"Cold in here, Sango?" he smirked.

Sango shook her head. "Nope, I feel just fine."

Miroku flexed his hand. "You sure? Perhaps I can offer some assistance if you need warming up."

Kohaku snickered from behind his hand-held game. Sango gave the teenager a puzzled look. "Alright, what's so funny?"

Kohaku cleared his throat, "he means your nipples are showing, Sis."

Sango's face went crimson. She quickly covered her chest with her arms while she ran back into her bedroom to put on something considerably less revealing. Rummaging through her dresser drawer like a hungry raccoon, she found an over-sized black t-shirt. Sango pulled the shirt over her head, taking one last look in the mirror to make sure that her nipples were well-hidden this time around. She grabbed her chest, regretting the fact that earlier she didn't think to cover up her sweater-puppies a little better. Of course the pervert would have noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra. The smell of breakfast drifted through the air again as she made her way back into the kitchen.

Sango rejoined Kohaku at the kitchen table. Miroku had placed three plates down with what looked like eggs scrambled with sausage and peppers in them. He then placed a big plate of homemade tortillas in the center of the table next to some small jars of salsa.

"What's this called?" Sango asked him, shifting the contents of her plate around with her fork. Whatever it was, it at least smelled appetizing.

Miroku scooped up some of the contents of his plate into one of the tortillas.

"Chorizo con huevos, I learned how to make it from Stony's mom. Go on, roll up some in a tortilla, I promise it's really tasty."

Kohaku was the first to take a bite of the breakfast tacos. His eyes widened in shock. "This tastes amazing!"

"It can't be all that great." Sango scoffed as she took a bite. She soon found herself literally eating her words. How in the Hell was Miroku such a great cook? Heck, he was even better than his mom!

Kohaku piled more salsa on his 2nd go at the breakfast tacos. "If this is what food is, then what have we been eating?"

"Hey, it's not like I don't try to cook." Sango snapped at her brother.

"Maybe you should take lessons from Miroku then? His cooking skills absolutely pulverize yours!" Kohaku managed to spit out between bites.

For once, Sango had to agree with him. With Miroku around they could probably have decent meals for a change and not just steak-umms over rice because she and her dad felt lazy.

Once the food was all eaten, Sango began to gather up the plates. Just as she was about to make the dishwater, Miroku stopped her.

"Don't worry about it Sango, I'll take it from here."

Sango turned on the hot water tap. "Are you sure, I don't mind doing it myself or even helping you."

He placed his hand over hers. "I insist, besides you probably need to get dressed for our outing in a couple of hours."

In an instant Sango's eyes met his. She quickly jerked her hand away from his before things got a little too awkward between them. "Right, of course. I-um need to get ready."

Miroku went back to tending to the dishes as Sango walked off to her bedroom.

Sango took one last look at him before he was out of her peripheral vision. "Oh, and by the way, Miroku."

Miroku looked up from his dishes. "Yeah?"

"If I catch you peeping at me while I'm undressing, you're dead."

Miroku grinned at her. "So, does this mean I can peep on you when you're _getting dressed_ instead?"

Sango glared at him. _Of course_ _he_ _would find some kind of a loophole._ "None of that either."

He returned back to his dishes. "Duly noted, Sango."

* * *

Sango turned on the water for her shower after taking one last look around for any prying eyes. Even though this was her house, she didn't feel completely safe with that pervert Miroku looming just down the hall. Making sure the coast was clear, she draped her towel on the back of the toilet seat.

Outside in the hall, Miroku could hear the water running in Sango's room as well as the faint sound of Sango singing in the shower. Her singing was pleasant, hardly off key. He leaned against the wall to hear more. Once the shower went off, so did her singing voice.

After she was done blow-drying and fixing her hair up in her usual high-ponytail and white ribbon, Sango stood in front of her closet. Her hands picked through the layers of clothing, trying to find a suitable outfit to wear. Within ten minutes most of the contents of her closet wound up on the floor. Sango sighed, she wondered why was she making something as simple as choosing an outfit so difficult? This wasn't even a real date; it was just an outing as friends for Pete's sake. Feeling that she had enough of that nonsense, Sango closed her eyes and picked two items at random off of the floor. Surprisingly, her choice comprised of a pair of high-waisted denim shorts and a pink and white t-shirt looked pretty good for a blind pick. She tucked the hem of the t-shirt into the shorts. Sango glanced down at the pile of clothes on the floor. _Crap, now I have to pick all of this up._

While Sango was busy getting ready, Miroku and Kohaku sat on the couch. Kohaku had his nose stuck in a book while he patiently waited for his sister to finish up. Miroku took a quick look at the freckle-faced teenage kid sitting on the opposite side of the couch. He chuckled, Kohaku was positively the polar opposite of Rin. Rin was never this quiet in the company of others, nothing could get that kid's motormouth to stop once it started going. Come to think of it he never really saw her read either, aside from trashy teenybopper magazines like Tiger Beat.

Miroku glanced at the book in Kohaku's hand. "Firestarter, huh?"

Kohaku nodded, "Yeah, It's really good too. I'm on the eighth chapter."

"So you like Stephen King books then?"

Kohaku flipped a page of his book. "Yeah, he's one of my favorites. I've read most of his books except for Cujo. I've been meaning to borrow it from the library but I always forget about it when I'm there."

"Do you like horror movies too?"

Kohaku shut his book, setting it down on the coffee table. "Wanna see my collection?"

Kohaku led Miroku into his bedroom. Upon entering, Miroku was stunned at the décor in Kohaku's room, The teen's walls were painted black and plastered with poster prints of slasher villains like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees. Red paint, painted to look like blood drips cascaded down from the ceiling. On one of the walls resided a big glass shadow-box full of ninja weapons and knives of assorted sizes and lengths. Kohaku had also amassed a giant collection of horror-themed action figures and oddities neatly placed on shelves throughout his room.

Miroku picked up a jar with a pinkish-grey blob submersed in green-yellow liquid.

"Hey Kohaku, what's this?"

Kohaku grinned, "Oh, that's my rhesus monkey brain. Cool isn't it?"

Miroku sat the jar down. "What are you doing with a monkey brain?"

Kohaku pulled out two large cardboard boxes from under his TV stand.

"I found it at a flea market in San Bernadino a couple of years ago. The guy I bought it from was also selling genuine Roswell alien urine but I thought the brain was cooler."

Kohaku placed the open boxes on his bed. "Well, this is it. My collection!"

Miroku dug through one of the boxes. Kohaku wasn't kidding, his collection of Horror VHS tapes was huge. The Evil Dead, Basket Case, Hell Night, Halloween, Cannibal Holocaust, Hellraiser, and a bunch of others lined the cardboard boxes.

"How in the Hell did you get all of these? Aren't VHS tapes supposed to be ridiculously expensive to own?"

"From my friend Bradley, his dad is the owner of Rewind Rob's Video. Every few years or so his dad gets new copies of different VHS tapes and gives away the old ones that don't sell." Kohaku responded.

Miroku packed the VHS tapes back into the boxes "Well, it's an amazing collection Kohaku, I have to say I'm kind of jealous."

Kohaku hopped off of his bed. "Don't mention it, and if you want to we can marathon them sometime when you are over, since we both like slasher films. Sango likes watching them too but only because she finds them more funny than scary."

The conversation between them ended when they saw Sango come out of her room across the hall. She stepped into her little brother's room, careful not to trip over anything weird on the floor. Oddly enough, that wasn't a problem this time around as Kohaku actually cleaned up his pigsty of a room sometime earlier that week.

"I see that Kohaku has shown you his collection; so are you guys ready to go?"

Miroku stood up from Kohaku's bed. His eyes had not left Sango since she walked into the room, he never knew what Sango looked like in shorts until now. If her shorts were any shorter, he would definitely be feeling ass cheek if he was to grope her later. He took another good look at her lower half, with those long legs and short shorts, Miroku would regret it if he didn't feel her up at least once today.

Miroku nodded. "Yeah, follow me out to the car."

Miroku opened the passenger door to his Camaro, lifting the lever on the side of the seat for access to the backseat. Kohaku crawled into the backseat, finding the interior to be really cramped with hardly any leg room.

Miroku turned the key in the ignition. "Kohaku, apologies if it's a little cramped back there, my car lacks a decent sized backseat."

"It's okay, I have plenty of room if I sit this way." Kohaku replied, adjusting his feet to where they wouldn't be trapped under the driver's seat.

Miroku put his car in drive. "Make sure you buckle up back there."

* * *

At the pier, the trio found the arcade to be incredibly crowded. Hardly any of the games were vacant. Rows and rows of quarters lined each arcade game. The line for the air hockey and pool tables wrapped around like a snake with bored teenagers waiting their turn. People's children were running amok and screaming their heads off at the snack bar. Two small children were fighting over a stuffed animal one of them had won from the claw machine, heaven help them if they managed to tear the poor teddy bear's arms off in the struggle. Miroku quickly ducked his head out of the way as a particularly bratty kid standing on a table sent a half-eaten corn-dog flying through the air.

Sango gave him a worried look. "I'm sorry Miroku, I swear it wasn't this crowded last time Kohaku and I were here."

"It's not your fault, summer vacation happened and this place happens to be indoor and air-conditioned." He reassured her.

Miroku glanced over to the Gauntlet arcade game where Kohaku had somehow managed to beat the line for his turn. "Looks like Kohaku is pretty content."

Sango ran to catch up with her brother. "Wait right there Miroku, I need to ask Kohaku something before he gets zoned out in his game."

Miroku waited next to the skee-ball machines for a couple of minutes before Sango came running back.

"So, what did you ask him?"

"I asked him if it was okay if me and you left him alone to his games while we find something else to do on the pier, he said it was fine as long as we come back to pick him up in a couple of hours." She replied.

Miroku was elated at her response, this whole time he thought that he would never get alone time with Sango because Kohaku would surely be a third wheel and yet here she was actually requesting his company. For something that wasn't supposed to be a date, it was beginning to feel like one.

"Well, come on what are you waiting for. We better hurry before the rides on the pier get too packed." Sango grabbed Miroku's hand, leading him out of the arcade and into the amusement park on the pier.

After purchasing tickets for the rides, the two of them scoped out the park. Luckily, the lines weren't that long for the tilt-a-whirl and the roller coaster. While on the roller coaster, Miroku found it weird that Sango pretty much stayed silent the entire time as the girl sitting in the car behind them was screaming her lungs off.

Miroku led Sango to one of the carnival games, this one involved shooting metal ducks with targets painted on them using a bb gun. He noticed Sango staring longingly at a large panda plush hanging from the prize rack. He had always considered himself kind of lucky at these games. Rolling up his sleeves, he decided he would try to win the panda for Sango.

Miroku paid the man behind the stall. "four rounds please."

Unfortunately, it seemed that luck was not on his side when he was down to his last round and hadn't managed to knock down a single target.

Miroku sighed, "I guess I wasn't as good as I thought."

Sango tapped him on the shoulder. "Can I have the last go?"

Miroku handed her the gun. "Sure, knock yourself out."

Sango rolled back her shoulders as she readied the gun. "Alright, let's do this."

 **PING! PING! PING! PING!**

Sango managed to hit eight ducks in a row with damn near perfect accuracy.

Miroku's mouth went agape at her shooting skills.

" **WE HAVE A WINNER!"** shouted the man behind the stall as he handed the panda to Sango.

Sango hugged the plush panda under her arm as she and Miroku walked to the snow-cone stand.

Miroku paid the vendor for two snow-cones. "Where did you learn to shoot like that, Sango? That was amazing!"

Sango took a bite of her cherry snow-cone. "I started going to the shooting range with my dad when I turned sixteen. Apparently, I'm what they call a natural. Dad says I'd make a great policewoman but I don't think I'd want to put myself in danger like that."

Miroku mixed the contents of his snow-cone around with his spoon. "I don't blame you, it's a scary world out there, lots of creeps around every corner."

Sango laughed, "That's true but I'm not worried. I've been practicing self-defense martial arts ever since I was barely out of kindergarten. I know full well how to disarm a creep if they try anything on me."

"Hey look a quarter!" Sango exclaimed, bending down to pick up a coin from the pavement.

Miroku gulped, fighting tooth and nail to reach out and touch what was right in front of him without her noticing. He retracted his hand from hovering over her ass when she stood back up. _Dammit, I was so close!_

"Something the matter, Miroku?"

He quickly shoved his hand behind his back. "It's nothing, I just had a brain freeze, I guess I ate that snow-cone a little too fast."

"Miroku, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What's on your mind, Sango?"

Sango fidgeted with her ponytail. "I noticed that you always wear a glove on your right hand but not the other one, Is there something wrong with your hand?"

Miroku looked down at his hand. "No, not really. I mainly keep it on because I have a grody birthmark that I'm kind of self-conscious about."

"Can I see it?"

Miroku reached for the velcro fastening of his glove. "Are you sure you want to? It looks pretty bad."

"Of course! I'm sure it's not that bad. I live with a horror movie fanatic so I've probably seen a lot worse."

Miroku removed the fingerless leather glove from his hand, revealing a black mark on the palm of his hand that in a way almost looked hollow.

She traced the outline of the mark with her fingertips. "It looks like some kind of void, I've never seen a birthmark like this before."

Miroku put the glove back on. "Confusing isn't it? That's why I keep it hidden. Funny thing is I'm not the only one in my family that has it. My dad has it, my grandfather had it, and his father before him had the mark as well. Dad says the mark has plagued the men of my family for centuries as a remnant of a long-forgotten curse put on one of my ancestors by a vengeful demon."

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Demons? As in like The Exorcist, y'know throw holy water on them and recite the lord's prayer and they turn into a pile of ash?"

Miroku shook his head. "Not those kinds of demons, Japanese demons. Youkai."

"Youkai? Aren't those supposed to be a myth?"

Miroku lit a cigarette from out of his pocket. "Well yeah, now they are. Call me superstitious but I believe at one point and time they existed and were just as real as you and me. Just because something can't be explained, it doesn't mean that it didn't happen, Sango."

After the lengthy conversation about mythology and curses, Miroku and Sango strolled around the park a little while longer observing the sights, smells, and people walking around. They rode a couple of more rides like the air-swing and the sky-drop. Sango stopped at the end of the line for the ferris wheel.

"You know, I've always kind of hated these things."

Miroku scratched his head. "How come? I mean you rode the roller coaster and the sky-drop just fine."

Sango looked up at the ferris wheel. "I dunno, I guess I've just always had this silly fear of getting stuck in midair. It's stupid right?"

Miroku held her hand. "I don't think it's stupid at all. We don't have to ride it if you don't want to."

She pulled her hand from his grasp. "No, I want to go on it. Besides, it's a lot less scary when you're riding with someone."

The line dwindled down until it was their turn to ride on the wheel. Sango was the first to step into the seat. Once the wheel started moving upward, she nervously gripped the seat bar of the ride. Her fingers twitched all over the cold semi-rusted iron bar. She couldn't help but gasp when Miroku pulled her close to his body. He clutched her free hand in his, only this time she didn't immediately pull away.

Sango's face flushed bright pink as she tried to wiggle herself free from his grasp. The more she struggled, the tighter he hugged her.

Miroku gave her hand a light squeeze. "I know you're nervous but let's stay like this until the ride is over."

Sango's heart raced ninety to nothing, this was the first time that a guy had ever held her like this. Somehow, it wasn't really awkward at all. She had only been this close to Miroku one other time and that was an accident. However this time it was different, maybe it was because she actually wanted to be held by him. Closing her eyes, she nuzzled her head underneath Miroku's chin, hearing that his heart was beating just as fast. The scent of cigarette smoke and sandalwood embedded in his clothing lingered against her nose.

"You smell like cigarettes." she whispered.

"Sorry, I'll make su..."

Sango cut him off. "Don't apologize, I like the smell."

Sango remained in his embrace until the ride came to a halt. The safety bar on the Ferris-wheel pod lifted up, letting both of them off of the ride.

Once they were off of the platform, Miroku playfully nudged her shoulder. "See, that wasn't so bad!"

Sango smiled. "Thanks for y'know helping me cope with my fear back there."

Before she could say another word, Miroku embraced her in yet another hug.

Sango squirmed in his embrace. "H-hey just because it was okay back there doesn't mean you can..." Her trail of thought was interrupted by the all-too-familiar sensation of his hand rubbing her bottom.

Sango angrily smacked him with the panda plush, repeatedly. "Can't you ever get your mind out of the gutter? I swear I let my guard down for one second and you do _**that!**_ "

Miroku watched as she stormed off. "Sango, wait! Where are you going?" he yelled.

"To go get my brother, It's almost sundown and we need to get back home." She yelled back at him through the crowd.

"So you're just going to leave me here?"

"I will if you don't catch up to me, slowpoke."

Miroku ran to catch up with her before she beat him to the front door of the arcade. Inside of the arcade they found Kohaku sitting at one of the tables inside the snack bar area. The teen had a sullen look on his face as he sipped away at a large cup filled with Sprite.

"What's the matter, Kohaku?" Sango asked, concerned about the change in her little brother's attitude.

"Someone beat my high-score on Dracula's Revenge, after I spent months trying to perfect it too. Anyways, did you two have fun?"

Sango sat down on one of the stools next to him.

"Yeah, we had fun. So now what do you want to do? It's getting late, so we don't have many options."

Kohaku brought his finger to his chin. "Well, we could always rent a movie and order pizza at the house."

Sango glanced over at Miroku. "Sound good to you?"

Miroku tossed his car keys in the air. "Ready when you are."

* * *

Back at the house, Empty pizza boxes and soda cans lined the coffee table. Sango's dad had just returned home before the movie started. Not only did Officer Sato manage to eat most of the pizza, he also made sure to sit between his daughter and Miroku on the couch while the movie was on. Miroku rested his chin on his knuckles, brooding because Sango's dad deliberately cockblocked him from her.

Miroku had fallen asleep for most of the movie when Officer Sato slugged him on the shoulder. "Pay attention to the movie, Spray paint. Look, the dog thinks he can ride a skateboard! Isn't that ridiculous?"

Miroku rubbed the shoulder where Officer Sato had slugged him. "yeah, funny."

While her father was busy with his maniacal laughter, Sango craned her body past him to face Miroku. The two of them caught each others gaze as the movie rolled into the end credits. Their gaze didn't last long at all as both of them jolted back into their respective seats on the couch when Sango's dad stood up to stretch his arms.

Hours after saying goodbye to Miroku for the evening, Sango tossed the plush panda from her bed up in the air. She stared into the panda's beady blue plastic eyes, wondering why she kept insisting that today had been an outing when she knew damn well that It was a date, her first date at that. Hugging the panda plush, Sango shook her head. How long was she going to deny the fact that she wanted to be with Miroku? She stared at the picture of her mother hanging on the wall across from her bed. _Mom, if you were here what would you do? I could really use some advice._

* * *

[A/N] This was a tough chapter to write, I had the idea stuck in my head for a while but every time I tried to pen it out I was interrupted with something stupid. This chapter was kind of research heavy, I actually did find out that the joke about a VHS tape in the 80's costing $100 or more was true! I've always liked Kohaku's character in the manga and anime but I never really figured out what his personality was, so in my AU he is a shy video-gaming horror movie nut because why not? I hope I didn't stray too OOC on that one. On a brighter note, I finally finished the cover art! if you would like the full version PM me and I'll tell you where to find it! Anyways, I'll get started on chapter 11 eventually, I need to brace myself because the real drama is going to pick up sooner than I had expected.

 **80's Slang/General Glossary**

 **Grody** : Disgusting; sick

 **Gauntlet** : 1985 adventure game, pretty much pioneered the typical hack and slash dungeon game.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Megadeth- I Ain't Superstitious**

 **Track 2: Ratt- Round and Round**

 **Track 3: Talking Heads- Girlfriend Is Better**


	11. Tension: Part I

Chapter 11: Tension Part I

Nearly a month had passed since Miroku's last day at Silent Pines. Everything went smoothly, he got there on time that morning, did his shift and turned in his key. Miroku's three months at that place was over, but the urge to find something else to do with his time still hung around at the back of his head. At the beginning of July, Billy had called him, telling him about a job opening for a graveyard shift at a 24 hour diner on the edge of town. The timing could not have been any more perfect. Not only was it a graveyard shift but the owner of the establishment happened to be Billy's uncle so Miroku was pretty much guaranteed his weekends off before he even started.

His first week at "Mr. Griddles 24hr diner and Truck Stop" was a lot different than his stint at Silent Pines, although he pretty much did the same line of work, busing tables, cleaning floors, doing dishes, etc. Instead of the Silent Pines clientele of rich people with problems, the clientele at Mr. Griddles was the complete opposite. During Miroku's shift the diner was usually littered with surly truckers, burly bikers from the bar next door, and the occasional crack whore or prostitute looking for some action because they more than likely got shooed away from the Circle K across the freeway. The staff at the diner was relatively small during the graveyard shift as only four other people really worked in that time slot.

First there were the two waitresses Lottie Wilcox and Maria Martinez. Grandma Lottie was an older lady possibly in her mid sixties and the only thing scarier than the perpetual frown on her face or the constant sarcasm coming out of her mouth was the mole she had on her chin. She did love her grandchildren though, making sure to always pop out a gigantic roll of pictures from her purse even when the subject at hand didn't call for it.

Maria was a much younger, buxom woman in her twenties with wavy raven black hair and a tan most women would kill for. Even though Miroku thought that Maria was really pretty and genuinely nice, she was kind of ditzy. You couldn't really joke with her because nine times out of ten she wouldn't get it. Maybe it was a cultural thing as Maria was Salvadorean and spoke with a heavy accent. As ditzy as she may have been, maybe she was smarter than he gave her credit for as she purposely wore the blouse of her uniform a size too small to rake in more tip money from perverts. It wasn't uncommon for Maria to rake in hundreds of dollars in tip money per shift, much to Grandma Lottie's dismay.

Then there were the two cooks, Al Greene and Grigori Popovich. Al was a tall, bald, muscular, middle aged man who was a Navy cook in his younger years. Al was a lot like Hector, in the sense that there was nothing negative about the man at all. Al always seemed to be in good spirits with everyone, even though he looked like he could kill a man with his bare hands if he wanted to. Al also had a steel plate in his head from his Navy days and a lot of nautical tattoos inked on his body. His favorite being a topless mermaid tattoo nicknamed "Shirlena" on his upper right arm that "danced" when he flexed his muscles.

Grigori was about the same age as Al, albeit a couple of years younger, give or take. Grigori was a former soviet sous chef who had came to the US with his eldest daughter in the seventies. Surly and disinterested in the world around him, he cared about nothing but his cooking. Grigori was one of the fastest cooks Miroku had ever seen although sometimes he wished that the man would put out the cigarettes when he was cooking on the stove, not only because of the health hazard but because Grigori never seemed to notice when stray ash fell on the food. Then again, considering the late-night clientele at Mr. Griddles nobody really seemed to care.

Today however, was one of those particular weekends that Miroku had off from work and for a good reason too; tonight Mystic Lyzzard would be playing at The Meridian. For weeks, it had been nothing but practice for all four of the band members. Their jam sessions were so crucial that the members of Mystic Lyzzard that had jobs used up vacation and sick days just to have extra time to practice. Miroku couldn't wait for the meridian gig to be over because he wanted to get some much-needed sleep. Between the graveyard shift at Mr. Griddles and precious daylight being pissed away for band practice, he was exhausted beyond all relief. Miroku's schedule had been so chaotic that he hadn't even had time for his daily phone call with Sango. It had been nearly two weeks since they had spoken at all to each other over the phone. Hell, he didn't even have time to go to her house either and every time she showed up at his doorstep, he was never there. Sango understood that Miroku was super busy but that didn't stop him from feeling like he was letting her down with his hectic schedule. Summer was already half way over and Sango would leave for college at the end of August, making the time that they could set aside to enjoy each others company all the more important.

Miroku silently thumbed the strings of his guitar. It was quiet in Jimmy's garage. Maybe a little too quiet, seeming as all four members of the band were exhausted from continuous rehearsals. Practice was especially hard on Andrew and Stony as both of them fell asleep while still holding their respective instruments. Who could really blame the guys though since they woke up with the roosters that morning. Miroku yawned, wondering where the hell Jimmy was with the coffee he said he was going to get half an hour ago. Surely the mini-mart couldn't be that crowded, it was 7:05 at night for fuck's sake!

Soon enough, Jimmy walked into the garage juggling four large Styrofoam coffee cups in his arms. He handed each band member a cup of coffee, thumping both Stony and Andrew in the head to wake them up.

Miroku blew on his steaming cup of coffee. "What took you so long? The Mini Mart wasn't that crowded was it?"

Jimmy plopped on the couch. "Nah, the store was fine. Hey, do you remember Kristin? I kind of ran into her outside of the store."

 _So that's what took him so long._ Miroku smirked upon realizing that's why Jimmy took his sweet ass time to get back. Kristin was a girl from their high school graduating class whom Jimmy had a thing for her back in the day although, he never seemed to muster the courage to ask her out. Miroku thought it was odd that 'ol Jimbo never tapped that ass because like himself, Jimmy was a serial skirt-chaser.

"Yeah, I remember her. She was the cute redhead that drove the moped right?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah. That would be her."

"So what happened? You finally bone her or something?" Miroku asked, swishing coffee around in his mouth to cool it down.

Jimmy laughed. "No, If I did that her bohunk husband would kick my ass into the next town over. I just can't believe she got married so fast and now she's pregnant too. Dammit, this happens every time I fall for a redhead."

"Maybe you just weren't meant to eat fire crotch." Miroku said, nonchalantly.

While Jimmy was busy yapping about his encounter, Stony was making a racket trying to break down his drum kit for storage in the onyx colored van out front. Miroku rushed over to help him carry the pieces of the set and the rest of the instruments out the garage door. Stony unlocked the back door the the van, carefully placing each part of his drum set in one by one.

Miroku climbed into the van, placing the amps and the last of the instruments into the cab. "That about does it. Hey Stony, is there anything that we are forgetting before we head off?"

Stony shook his head. "Not that I can think of. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to need some help transporting Andy off the couch, you know nothing wakes that guy up once he's conked out."

Miroku grabbed Andrew's feet as Stony grabbed the shoulders. Carefully, they hoisted Andy off the couch and into the van's backseat. Andrew woke up when Stony accidentally bumped his head on the window. Andrew rubbed the sore spot on his head, immediately falling back asleep afterwards. Miroku settled himself into the front seat of the van. He glanced at Stony and Andrew in the backseat. "Hey Stone-man, Andy doing okay back there?" Miroku asked.

Stony punched Andrew in the shoulder.

"OW!" Andrew whined, still half-asleep.

"Yeah, he's fine. But he should seriously go see a doctor or something, his sleep patterns are all fucked up."

Miroku looked out the window of the van. Jimmy was standing on the porch with his mom, arguing about something. Miroku groaned, wishing Jimmy would hurry up because at the pace things were going Mystic Lyzzard would be late to the venue. Jimmy ran towards the van, sliding into the driver's seat. "Sorry about that, my mom was being a pain in the ass over her bullshit chore wheel. Everything cool in here?"

"Just start the fucking van, Jimmy." Stony grumbled while lighting a cigarette with his zippo lighter.

Jimmy started the van, nearly hitting the mailbox on his way out from the driveway. Miroku yawned, perhaps Andy had the right idea to nap it up before they had to get on stage. He fell asleep, only to be woken up minutes later when his head thunked against the window when Jimmy hit some potholes in the road while driving.

* * *

Sango's hand ran over the shiny metal of her new car. Even though she got the car a month ago, she still couldn't believe that the semi-new Trans-Am was finally sitting in her driveway. Cherry red, the color she always dreamed her new car would be. The inside even had that new car smell, even though most of the smell was absorbed by her "ocean breeze" air freshener by now. She had worked with her dad for years to save up for this car and now it was hers. All those summers of crappy jobs and birthday money finally paid off, although her dad footed a little more than half of the bill. Police auctions truly were a magical thing. without the low auction price she wouldn't have been able to afford the car at all. Sango kissed her index finger and placed it over the hood of the car before she stepped back inside of the house.

When she entered her bedroom, she saw that Kohaku was on her personal phone line with someone. How many times did she have to tell him to stay out of her room before he got the message? Sango crossed her arms. "And just what do you think you're doing in here?"

Kohaku grinned. "Nothing, I was just answering the phone while you were outside making goo-goo eyes at your car. By the way, this call is for you, it's Karen on the other line."

Sango grabbed the phone from her little brother. "Hello Karen. What's up?"

"Hey Sango, long time no talk. So how have you been?" Karen asked.

"I've been doing just fine, I got a new car recently. Trans-Am as a matter of fact."

Karen squealed. "Omigod that is so bitchin' Sango! If we were still in school you would be the envy of every girl at Saint Catherine's!"

"So is there a reason why you called, you're not really the type that would randomly call me. That's more of Amy's department."

"Actually Sango, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me tonight. I'm kind of bored and I want to go to a nightclub but It's weird to go alone. Wanna join me, I promise It will be fun..."

Sango sighed. "You know I don't really do the club scene, besides what will I wear? I don't have any club appropriate clothes. It's a generous offer Karen, but I must decline."

"It's not _that_ kind of club Sango, It's a rock lounge. Y'know watch a live band and sit around and drink and junk. Getting all gussied up is completely optional but you may want to do it if you want someone to buy you drinks. Technically, even though we are 18 we are still too underage to buy alcohol ever since that bogus age restriction was passed last year. Come on, I'll even help you get ready."

"I guess it could be fun.."

Karen cut her off. "Great! I'll be at your place in no time at all! We are going to have so much fun!"

Sango sighed as she heard the dial tone through the phone. _What have I just gotten myself into?_

Within ten minutes, Karen arrived at Sango's doorstep with a huge makeup case in her hand and a backpack slung over her shoulder. Karen was already dressed up in her outfit for tonight. Sango knew that Karen had a quirky fashion sense but she had no idea what the hell her friend was wearing, it was like some kind of strange roaring twenties meets mime getup. New Wave fashion was something Sango did not understand at all even though she loved the music, especially when it involved dreamboats like Adam Ant and Billy Idol.

Karen playfully pushed Sango into the bedroom. "Now hurry up and take a shower, I have the perfect hairstyle in mind for you!"

When Sango stepped out of the shower, she was surprised to find that Karen already took the liberty of choosing an outfit for her. Even more surprising was that the outfit was really cute. Sango would have never thought to put those items of clothing together herself.

"Wow, Karen. This is really cute! I knew you had an eye for fashion but this looks amazing."

Karen bragged. "Nah, it was easy. Since everything in your closet is off the rack, I didn't have to do any sewing whatsoever. Most of my clothes are either thrifted or made by hand. Although I gotta step up my game if I'm going to ace my fashion design classes this upcoming semester."

Karen pulled a large sketchbook out of her backpack, showing off a detailed fashion sketch of Sango's complete outfit.

"See, this is the look I have in mind for you, with your long hair and fair skin, you can pull off an almost ethereal bohemian look perfectly. It's feminine, yet über chic at the same time!"

Sango sat down at the foot of her bed, her hands folded in her lap as Karen worked the fashion magic on her hair. Once her outfit was complete and the hair and makeup all done. Sango took a look in the mirror. It had been ages since her hair had been braided. But the way Karen did it was amazing, Karen wasn't kidding about the bohemian look. Sango's braid was loose but elegant with lightly curled tendrils of hair framing her face, reminiscent of an art nouveau painting. She almost didn't recognize herself without her ponytail when she looked in the mirror. And the dress Karen had rescued from the heap in the closet was absolutely gorgeous! Sango had originally bought the flouncy off-white lace sundress for her cousin's beach wedding last year and hadn't worn it since. But the way Karen paired it with other items in her closet made it look almost fairy-like. Even her makeup was on point! Since Karen knew that Sango had an aversion to wearing lots of makeup, she opted for minimal makeup in natural tones to match the outfit. Sango took another long look in the mirror.

"Wow, Karen. I can't thank you enough!" Sango exclaimed as she twirled some of the loose tendrils of hair around her index finger.

Karen smiled at her friend. "Don't mention it. Now come on, it's time to go. So who's car are we going to take, Mine or yours?"

Sango grabbed her keys from off of her side table. "I guess we will take mine, I've been meaning to drive a little more now that I actually have a car."

"Whoa, sis. You look amazing!" Kohaku exclaimed as Sango and Karen walked into the living room.

Kohaku turned his attention back on the TV. "So where are you two headed all dressed up and junk?"

"Out, tell dad I will be home shortly."

Kohaku nodded. "No problem sis, just don't get into any trouble okay."

"I won't and make sure you lock the door while I'm out." Sango yelled, shutting the front door behind her.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Sango asked Karen upon arriving at the front door of The Meridian. The crowd outside and inside of the small venue was nothing like Karen's crowd at all. Karen was into Mod bikes, new wave, and Britrock. The people gathered in front of them were dirty, crusty, metalheads; like the burnouts Miroku hung around with.

Karen fanned herself with her bowler hat. "I swear Sango, this place is not usually like this. Must be some kind of event going on."

Sango tore one of the yellow flyers off of a light post. "Well, there's your answer. It says **Metal Mayhem.** "

Karen snapped the flyer away from Sango's hand. "Let's see if I can recognize any of these bands. Iron Heart? Nope never heard of them. Cataclysmic Hellspawn? never heard of them either. Mystic Lyzzard..."

Sango's eyes widened. "Wait, Karen what was that last band's name?"

Karen looked down at the flyer in her hand. "Mystic Lyzzard apparently, but they misspelled lizard. Wait do you know them?"

"Kind of...well I know their guitarist. You remember my friend Miroku right? Well Mystic Lyzzard is his band."

"So, are we going in or what?" Karen asked, preparing to pay the man at the door for two tickets for the show inside.

Sango followed suit, trailing behind Karen as they entered the blackness of the venue. Sango coughed, the inside of this place was foggy and hard to see and it smelled like the inside of Jimmy's garage. She and Karen quickly scoped out the lounge for a vacant table with a view of the stage. They noticed one of the female bartenders clearing some hi-ball glasses off one of the tables just right of the stage.

"Excuse me Ma'am, is this table vacant?" Sango asked.

The bartender nodded. "It is now, is there anything I can get you two ladies started on?"

"Just Pepsi for us. Two please."

Sango and Karen looked around the venue. Sure enough, the two of them stuck out like sore thumbs. Not only because they were surrounded by hundreds of metalheads but because there were hardly any other women in sight. The women that were around either looked like total bimbettes or they were barely distinguishable from the male patrons. Sango coughed again, this place was certainly not her idea of a "lounge" club. With the loud screeching coming from that Iron Heart band, the smell of pot lingering in the air and the patrons shoving each other and pumping their fists in the air, she was way out of her element. Karen on the other hand seemed to be enjoying herself as she fist pumped with the rest of them. And once Iron Heart left off the stage, Karen cheered with the rest of the patrons in the lounge.

"You know what, those guys weren't that bad. That one song about the wood witch was great!" Karen chirped.

Sango had to agree with her, Iron Heart wasn't bad at all but Miroku's band was far better, at least based on what she heard from the demo tape. Sango watched as Iron Heart cleared the stage for the next band on the lineup. She noticed Jimmy and Stony step out from behind the back-stage to set up the amps and a couple of other pieces of equipment. That could only mean one thing, Mystic Lyzzard was next to play. Sango ducked her head behind her hands when she saw Miroku and Andrew come on stage to tune their guitars. Every member of Mystic Lyzzard looked different. The clothing they had on was a little flashier than normal, with spikes, leather, and chains galore. Jimmy was obviously the flashiest out of the members, opting to wear only a leather vest instead of a shirt. Stony had his long black hair teased up to where it cascaded in a puffball of spikes reminiscent of a porcupine, and Andrew conveniently looked the most normal out of the four, the only thing eye catching on his small frame were tight jeans.

Sango felt her mouth go dry when she peeked her head up to see Miroku's getup. Like Jimmy, he also wore a leather vest covered in spikes and chains. Underneath his vest was a ridiculously tight black tank top. He had on his signature bullet belt as well, hugging equally tight leather pants, followed by a pair of boots that had more buckles on them than a strait jacket. His hair was loose and slightly teased to where it looked like it had lots of volume. Sango's cheeks blazed red as she gawked at his form onstage. She wondered what it would feel like if he jumped off of the stage to pick her out of the crowd to whisk her away somewhere private where they could...Before she could even finish that thought she slapped her hand to wake up from her trance. It didn't work as she still found herself drinking in the sight of him onstage like a thirsty jackal.

Karen snapped her fingers in front of Sango's face. "Hello in there, earth to Sango? Anybody home?"

Sango snapped out of her trance, focusing on Karen. "Huh? What?"

Karen giggled. "You've been staring at your guy friend for over five minutes, rather lustfully I might add."

Sango slumped into her seat, covering her face with her hands once again. "Someone just shoot me now."

"It's okay Sango, you needn't be embarrassed. I don't understand though, if you like him and if he likes you then why aren't you two more than friends?"

Sango sighed. "It's complicated. He's never asked me out and I don't want to ask him out because I'll be going away soon and everyone knows long distance relationships don't work. I don't want to hurt him and I don't want to hurt myself either. Deep down, I think he feels the same way."

Karen took a sip of her Pepsi. "That's harsh. So what do you plan to do, the tension must be killing you."

"That's just it, I don't know." Sango replied, her face once again cupped behind her hands.

"This may seem kind of weird to ask, but do you ever find yourself like I dunno...craving his touch."

Sango frowned, embarrassed at the question. Sex was the last thing she wanted to think about. Especially now, when she was trying to shoo away her lustful thoughts, all the while the little nagging voice in the back of head showed no signs of letting the subject go. _You owe it to yourself to be honest, Karen is only trying to help._

"Yeah. And honestly, those feelings. Well, they've gotten worse. Sometimes I feel so hot inside thinking about him that I can't even sleep. I just don't know what to do and It's driving me crazy."

Karen gasped. "You mean you've never masturbated before?"

Sango nearly choked on her drink. "M-masturbate? To thoughts of him? No way!"

"I don't know why you object to it so much, It's perfectly natural for women to flick their bean to release tension. I mean it's so easy all you have to do is..."

"Stop! I get it. Thanks for the advice and all but I'm ready to drop the subject."

Seconds later, the lounge went dark for Mystic Lyzzard's performance. The lights dimmed on the stage as blacklight glow and fog enveloped the rest of the venue. Sango kept her eyes focused on the stage during the entire performance, paying special attention to Miroku. Upon the stage he was in his element. She had never seen him so driven and focused. It was like onstage he was a completely different person. He wielded his guitar with immaculate precision, like it was the mighty sword of a heroic knight. Even though Sango was never really a fan of heavy metal, she did have to admit that Miroku had serious talent. Hearing Mystic Lyzzard live was ten times better than the quality on the demo tape. Sango felt her heart jump in her chest when she thought he had taken notice of her in the crowd. She let out a sigh of relief when she realized that wasn't the case as he kept on playing.

"So this is Mystic Lyzzard?" Karen yelled, so that Sango could hear her between the ear-splittingly loud music.

Sango nodded. "Yep. All four of them, and FYI watch out for the blond guy on the mic. He's a shameless lech and will probably try to ask for your number after the show."

Karen took a closer look at Jimmy. "I wouldn't mind that. I think he's kind of cute."

After Mystic Lyzzard's performance was over. Sango mentioned to Karen that they should probably get back to her house since It was getting late. Just when they were about to leave the table, Jimmy stopped them.

Jimmy leaned against the doorway to the bar. "Hey there Sango! I thought I saw you out there in the crowd! I thought Miroku said you weren't going to make it to tonight's show?"

Sango shook her head. "I wasn't planning on coming tonight at all, nor did I know you guys were playing tonight. Miroku mentioned an upcoming gig but I never really pried into it. I'm only here because my friend Karen dragged me here because she didn't want to come alone."

"I did not _drag_ you here Sango. You came on your own free will." Karen scoffed.

Sango noticed Jimmy eyeing her quirky friend up and down. His gaze brazenly stopped at Karen's rather ample chest. "Sango, who's your friend?" he asked.

Sango sighed as she introduced her friend to Jimmy. "Jimmy this is my friend Karen, Karen this is Jimmy."

Jimmy smiled as he kissed Karen's hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Karen. It's always a delight to meet new fans, especially ones as lovely as yourself."

Karen blushed. "Thank you and nice vocal work out there. Heavy metal is not really my cup of tea but you guys were fantastic."

Jimmy wrapped his arms around both of the girls. "Say, how about you two fine babes follow me backstage to see the rest of the guys. Especially you Sango, I'm sure it would mean the world to Miroku to know that you showed up to support him tonight."

Sango lifted Jimmy's arm off of her shoulder. "It's tempting but Karen and I have got to go."

"Oh come on, Sango. Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud." Karen pouted, shamelessly clinging to Jimmy's arm.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Fine, lead the way Jimmy."

* * *

Sango held her nose when she entered the backstage area. It reeked of booze and other foul odors she couldn't quite make out. Also, it was extremely cramped and kind of drafty. _This is what people pay extra money for at concerts? What a sham!_

"Hey Miroku! Look who I found in the crowd!" Jimmy hollered, playfully shoving Sango in front of him.

Sango felt the flames of jealousy rise within her body when she saw what lied in front of her. There was Miroku sitting on one of the couches back-stage with an inebriated half-naked bleach-blonde bimbette straddled on his lap. Sango's eyes narrowed on Miroku and the drunken whore in front of her as the airheaded girl clung on to him like a jungle gym, petrified with fear at Sango's wrathful stare.

"Kyaa! Miroku, she's scaring me." The bimbette shrieked, nuzzling her face into his chest.

Miroku nervously gulped, beads of sweat trickled down his face. He had known for quite sometime that Sango was the jealous type when it came to his womanizing ways but he had only really put up with minor glares or the occasional cold-shoulder from her up until now. This was different though, Sango was seething with fury unlike any other outburst he had ever seen from her. She was terrifying, as if some kind of malevolent spirit had taken over her body, hellbent on taking him out first. _Shit, this looks bad, really bad._

Miroku Hastily pushed the dead-weight damsel off of his lap, only to have the silly girl cling to him once more.

Sango headed out towards the door "Let's go Karen. We're leaving." She snarled, clenching her fists at her side.

She looked over at Karen who didn't say anything. Karen currently wasn't paying Sango any attention since she was locked onto Jimmy's gaze as he ran his fingers through her ginger locks.

"So, are you a natural redhead?" Jimmy asked Karen, showing no signs of stopping his flirtatious behavior anytime soon.

Sango yanked her love-struck friend away from Jimmy. "let's go, like now."

Karen sighed. "Sorry Jimmy, I gotta go with her, she's my ride home. I'll call you later."

Miroku finally managed to free himself from the vice-grip of the really horny, really drunk girl backstage. He bolted out of the front door to stop Sango and Karen before they left the venue. He caught up to the girls just before Sango made it to her car in the parking lot.

Miroku grabbed Sango's hand. "Sango, wait. I can explain."

Sango jerked her hand away from his grasp. "Don't fucking touch me! Whatever excuse you have I don't want to hear it Miroku."

"Won't you just listen to what I have to say?"

Sango took one last look at him; smiling, before getting into her car to join Karen, who was already buckled up in the front seat. Sango motioned for him to come closer to her.

Miroku let out a sigh of relief, thinking that she was going to give him a chance to explain himself.

Sango pulled him closer by his shirt collar. She coyly trailed her cold fingertips across his chest, then she moved her face in super close to his, as if to kiss him. "Miroku could you do me one teensy little favor, could you..."

"Yes, my Sango." he murmured under his breath.

" **Roast in Hell, you sleaze!"** Sango screamed as she roundhouse-kicked him onto the pavement. Miroku fell flat on his back with a thud.

While Miroku was rubbing his jaw from where she had struck him, Sango peeled out in the Trans Am, making sure to drench his womanizing ass with runoff water from a nearby puddle.

Now completely drenched with the filthy water; Miroku could only sit back as he watched Sango's car speed off into the street. Jimmy ran from across the parking lot to help him up off the ground. "Shit man, what happened? You're fucking soaked!"

Miroku shoved Jimmy aside, not even saying a single word to his band-mate. Angrily, he stormed into the back of the van, locking the doors from the inside to make sure he wouldn't be disturbed. He rubbed his bruised jaw again, finding himself lucky that Sango hadn't managed to knock any of his teeth out with that hard ass kick of hers.

" _Roast in Hell, you sleaze!"_ Sango's spiteful words looped over and over in his head. Miroku didn't even want to think about how much he hurt her. Sango did nothing wrong, he was the sorry son of a bitch that shoved her aside for the possibility of drunken groupie sex, knowing full well that his heart pined only for her. So what if he couldn't date Sango? That didn't mean that he had to get his dick wet by the first willing bitch that came along. Not only did he betray Sango by completely shattering her trust in him, he betrayed himself. Miroku recalled the look on Sango's face when she stepped backstage. She was angry of course, furious even, but the thing that hurt him the most was that when she dragged that Karen girl out, Sango looked like she was about to cry. Miroku sighed as he leaned back into the fold-out seat. How was he ever going to make things right with her again? If he was to apologize, would she even accept it?

* * *

[A/N] Well, that escalated quickly. Stay tuned for part II, I promise I won't leave you guys hanging for long.

 **80's Slang/General Glossary:**

 **Bohunk-** A super jock; a meat-head. Devoid of any brains whatsoever.

 **Bitchin-** Means totally awesome.

 **Bogus-** Lame; not cool at all.

 **Adam Ant-** ABritish new-wave artist who was popular in the 80's and early 90's

 **Trans Am-** Another sports-car made by Pontiac motors. This car was the definitive "it" car of the 1980's

 **Billy Idol-** Another British hard rock/new wave artist who was popular in the 80's. Girls liked him for his "bad boy" stage persona.

 **Bimbette-** Cutesier variation of the term "Bimbo" I.E. a trashy, loose, female.

 **Flick the bean-** Female masturbation.

 **Britrock-** Exactly what it says on the tin, "British Rock"

 **The Mods-** One of the many subcultures of the 1980's. Were they Buddy Holly impersonators or just geeky people with really cool scooters? no one knows for sure.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Wang Chung- Fire In The Twilight**

 **Track 2: Iron Maiden- Two Minutes To Midnight**

 **Track 3: Def Leppard- Foolin'**


	12. Tension: Part II-The Resolve

Chapter 12: Tension Part II – The Resolve.

Sango stared longingly out her bedroom window. She sat on her bed, hugging her knees close to her body. It had been nearly an entire day since her fight with Miroku. All day the phone in her room had been ringing off of the hook with him on the other line no doubt. Sango didn't know how it happened but the moment she saw him with another woman, something inside her snapped. She had known about Miroku's lecherous tendencies for quite some time now. Yes it annoyed her to no end how he would brazenly flirt with random women but even so she would usually get over with it and go about her day because when it was all said and done, she was just a friend to him. Sango wasn't his girlfriend, despite how much she longed to be. For a while she took solace in the fact that he probably wanted to be with her as much as she did with him. She could see it in his eyes, the way he looked at her, the way he laughed at her corny jokes, and the smiles the two of them would share together. And then there was his embrace; when he held her in his arms it felt as if the world stopped spinning just for the two of them. But if Miroku truly cared about her in that way, then why did he stomp on her heart like it was a decrepit pile of dog-shit? Unless, he didn't care about her feelings at all. Sango wasn't stupid, she knew from the beginning what he wanted from her, she wouldn't give it to him so he found another girl who would.

Tears welled up in her tired eyes. Despite how much he had hurt her, she couldn't bring herself to outright hate him even though she wanted nothing more than to shove any thoughts of him away into the deepest recesses of her mind. Miroku wasn't for her, he was a player, a lech, a womanizer, he could never be faithful to her. If Sango did give herself to him, who's to say that he would even stick around? The thought of being seen as nothing more than a cheap plaything devastated her. Was she really just a game to him and nothing more?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing on the hook for like the 30th time this morning.

Sango answered the phone. "Go to Hell, Miroku!" she yelled into the receiver, slamming the phone back on the side table.

The phone rang once more, she picked it up again. "What did I tell you about calling here? GO AWAY!"

"Sango honey, is everything alright over there?"

Sango let out a sigh of relief when she realized it was her dad on the other end and not Miroku.

"Yeah dad, everything is fine. Are you about to come home from the station?"

"Yeah, I'm just about to leave. I had to cover a route for one of the rookie officers. Is there anything you want me to pick up for you on the way home? I need to stop by the Rite-Aid to get some cough drops, I think I'm coming down with something." he responded.

"Ice cream would be nice. If they have the kind with M&M's in it, get that for me okay."

"Alright sweetie, I'll pick you up a pint on my way home."

"Thanks, daddy." Sango said softly as she hung up the phone.

Sango curled up on her bed, realizing she had barely gotten any sleep since the incident, probably four hours at most. Every time she would try to doze off, the damn phone would ring, nine times out of ten Miroku was on the other line. She had to give him credit for one thing, the dude was persistent but there was no way in Hell she would forgive him any time soon. Her dad used to tease that she was a lot like her late mother because when she was angry, she was ANGRY. Her mother's rage was legendary in her family. Sango reminisced on some of her childhood memories of her mother. It wasn't often when her mom was mad at her dad but when she was on the warpath, everyone had to run for cover. Otherwise they would all have to eat cold rice for a week. When her mom was really mad at her dad she would play heinous pranks on him like gathering all of the dirty clothes and dishes, piling them in the bathtub to make sure that his morning routine was delayed by filthy clothes and food bits in the shower. Sango wondered if she was married, would she follow a similar act if her spouse pissed her off? Sango felt her eyelids getting heavy with sleep once again so she brought her blanket over her head. Under the cozy comfort of the blanket she noticed the beady blue plastic eyes of the panda plush she got with Miroku at the pier staring back at her. Frowning, she grabbed the panda and chucked it at the closet door.

Instead of hiting her intended target, the panda plush smacked her dad upside the head when he walked in to bring her the ice cream she requested earlier.

Sango quickly sat up in her bed. "Sorry dad, I tried to aim that thing at the closet."

Her dad picked the panda off of the floor, placing it back on her bed. "Sango, care to tell me what's wrong? You haven't left your room since last night. I'm getting kind of worried." He asked, handing the small container of ice cream and a spoon to his mopey daughter.

Sango sat both of the items on her side table, trying to hide the fact that she had been crying. "It's nothing dad, I'm fine. Honest. You don't need to worry about me."

Her dad embraced her in a hug, "Sango, you can tell me anything. Don't be afraid to let it all out. It's my job as a father to worry about my children so please, tell me what's wrong."

"I had a fight with Miroku last night. I just don't know what to do, I want to forgive him but I'm having a hard time finding a reason why I should. Dad, he's supposed to be my best friend and I don't even want to look at him because if I do then the butterflies start a dogfight in my stomach and I wind up back where I started."

Officer Sato sighed. He knew this was bound to happen but he never expected it to happen to _his_ little girl. Sango was stronger than that. She was a lot like her mother; extremely strong willed, preferring to use actions rather than words to solve a problem. As much as it pained him to admit, his little girl had done the one thing he as a father was not prepared for. Sango had fallen in love.

How it all happened, he didn't have a clue. Growing up, Sango was never the type of girl who was boy-crazy. He lost count on how many times he got a phone call from the principal's office during her elementary and middle school years because she managed to beat the tar out of some nasty little boy who tried to pick on her. Sango didn't love boys, she kicked their asses, that was how it always was...at least until now.

It was no secret that Sango's dad loathed Miroku Hoshima; his daughter's so-called "best friend". The guy was utterly useless, he had no ambition nor any useful skills. Unless you counted smoking dope as a useful skill. Frankly, he was a lazy good-for-nothing bum. Danma (Dan) Sato had been a police officer for nearly twenty years, he knew full well what men who acted like Miroku were; losers, every single one of them. Definitely not good enough to date his daughter, and marriage? Over his dead body! He saw the way that punk looked at her and the way she looked at him. There was no doubt about it, he knew full well what those looks meant. Sango liked that asshole, she liked him a lot. Why she would love someone like Miroku of all people remained a mystery to him. All Dan knew was that if that bastard hurt his baby girl in any way there would be hell to pay.

Dan placed one of his hands on his daughter's forehead. "Sango he didn't hurt you did he? Do you have any bruises, let me see your face."

Sango moved her dad's hand off her forehead. "Dad I'm fine. In fact I probably hurt him, I was so angry at Miroku that I roundhouse kicked him in the jaw."

Dan tried to contain his laughter. "In the jaw huh? That's a pretty tough spot to hit."

"I don't know what came over me when it happened. I was so mad at him that I didn't know what else to do."

"Well, you are your mother's daughter." Dan chuckled.

Sango tore into the pint of ice cream with her spoon. "Dad, what was it like when you first realized that mom might have been "the one", did it scare you?"

Dan laughed. "Scare me? Honey, when I first realized that I loved your mother it absolutely terrified me! When we were children, she used to tease me all the time. At first I thought she hated my guts because of the way she would bully me. She would pour sand down my shorts and one time she even filled my shoes with scorpions. I still have a scar on my foot from one of the stings that never quite healed right. When Sayuri wasn't tormenting me, she was very pleasant to be around. She was smart, she was funny, and she was the only girl I ever truly befriended. It wasn't until we were teenagers and she started dating your uncle Manta that I realized that I had feelings for her."

"Mom dated Uncle Manta?" Sango questioned. Finding it funny how neither her dad or her uncle never mentioned it before.

"For a long time actually. They even planned on getting married someday. I was furious that your mother chose Manta over me. I had known her longer, she was my best friend, not his. One day, I drove her out to the beach so we could do some surfing. As I listened to her gab on and on about my perfect goody-two-shoes older brother, something inside me snapped and I ended up confessing the entirety of my feelings for her on the spot."

"I'll never forget the look on your mother's face when she heard my confession. She practically grabbed me off of my surfboard, slapped me in the face and then she kissed me. Turns out, all of the torment she had put me through when we were kids wasn't because she hated me, it was because she liked me, a lot."

He ran his hand over his daughter's cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "feel any better now? Looks like the waterworks have just about dried up."

Sango nodded. "Thanks daddy. I think I know what I need to do."

Her dad tousled her hair. "That's my girl! But first things first, you should probably get some sleep. I'll go ahead and leave you alone now." Dan said, picking up the half eaten pint of ice cream off the side table to put it back in the freezer in case his daughter wanted more later.

Once her dad was gone, she pulled the blanket back over her head. She would deal with the Miroku problem later. Right now all that mattered was getting some sleep.

* * *

Miroku sighed, hanging the phone up yet again. It was no use, Sango was never going to answer his call. The one time she did answer, she was just as angry as she was last night. He leaned back onto his wall, sinking down to the floor. In the time since he got home earlier that morning he rarely left his room; one time to get an icepack for his sore jaw and another time to take a shower to get the hairspray out of his hair from the night before. He deserved the kick in the face after what he did, how could he have been so careless? Miroku knew that Sango had feelings for him, so why on Earth did he think it was a good idea to stomp all over them? Sango wasn't like the other girls that he had "relations" with. Namely because she was his friend, his best friend. She wasn't some random girl that he could just pump and dump. That's not to say that he didn't find her extremely sexually attractive. Just even imagining what she would look like nude was enough to make his mouth water and his pants tighter. To him, Sango was more than just a pretty face, she was the complete package. Sango was smart, funny, athletic, strong-willed, and the way she often blushed at him was enough to make his heart feel like it was going to melt in his chest cavity.

Despite the countless amount of women he had fooled around with ever since he hit puberty, Miroku had never known what it felt like to actually love someone. Sure, he loved his parents, his little sister, and there was no doubt that Jimmy was his brother from another mother. But he had never loved anyone in the romantic sense. Sure he had the occasional rare crush on a girl, but love? That was completely out of the question. There had been girls that _loved_ him, and lots of them. Heck, girls have fought each other over him! When he was in high school, girls would constantly stuff love notes in his locker, sappy poetry, and even things like their underwear, hoping that he would notice them. Miroku wasn't popular in high school because he played sports or was involved in student politics. He was popular because he was a rebel without a cause who knew how to exploit a girl's weakness.

Miroku knew it was no secret that throughout the ages women loved the so called "bad-boy" type. From the James Deans of yesteryear to the rock-stars of today, women have been willing to spread their legs for a man with a devil-may-care attitude and a charming smile. Did it make him an asshole? Most likely. He knew he was a selfish prick who wanted to squeeze life's lemons so hard that only the pulp remained. Miroku was a womanizer because he liked the thrill of the chase, and of course the prize at the end of each chase. Sex gave him a rush far better than any drug ever could. When he first met Sango at Silent Pines, he knew full well that he would try to chase her down. When he finally caught up with her and the more time he spent with her, getting to know her on a personal level, he realized Sango was the one for him. Love, there it was again. What he felt for Sango went beyond infatuation. He loved her.

Miroku grabbed his wallet from off of the stereo side-table. Inside of the plastic sleeve that held his driver's license resided Sango's school photo. He carefully wedged the small photo out from behind the license. He remembered telling her when she gave him the photo that he liked it a lot, although she insisted that she looked weird. That was the thing that confused him about her, no matter how many times he would flirt with her or tell her how beautiful she looked, she would always insist that she was just "average". He chuckled. "Average". That word had no business coming out of her mouth, there was nothing average about her at all.

He placed the photo back into it's respective spot in the wallet. Miroku looked out his bedroom window, It was already dark outside. For a minute it crossed his mind that he should probably get some rest but he didn't feel tired at all, despite only sleeping for a couple of hours that morning. Miroku shrugged his battle jacket on his shoulders as he headed downstairs and out the front door.

If there was one thing Miroku loved about his neighborhood at night, it was the quietness. So far his night walk therapy was working just fine. He loved the chill of the salty sea air that wafted in from the beach and the sound of the crickets and katydids chirping in the darkness. The moon shone bright that night, dimly lighting him on his path as he trekked block after block. He stopped walking when he almost passed up Sango's house on Cherrywood lane. Deadpan, he stood in front of the house from the center of the street. The lights were off in her house, save for a faint blue glow of a TV screen that was most likely from Kohaku on one of his all-night video game binges.

"What am I doing here, she doesn't want to see me." Miroku groaned as he headed in the opposite direction of Sango's house. He stopped again when he saw more faint light peeking out from the gaps in the wooden fence that led to her backyard. He heard a familiar female voice say something along with splashes from the pool within said backyard. Noticing that the back gate was left wide open, he ventured inside.

* * *

Sango sat at the edge of the shallow end of her family's pool throwing plastic diving sticks into the deep end. Even though it was the middle of July, it wasn't too terribly muggy outside. In fact it was kind of perfect for a night swim. For that reason, she had her swimsuit on underneath her baggy sleep shirt and shorts in case she actually did feel like swimming later. She threw another diving stick into the pool, enjoying the ripple effect the object made when it broke the water's surface. Underwater lights illuminated the otherwise dark pool so she could see where the diving sticks landed in the crystal clear water. Sango leaned back on the concrete with her arms behind her head, her eyes closed as she splashed around some of the water with her feet.

"Plan on going for a swim, Sango?" A familiar voice rang in her ears. Sango quickly opened her eyes to find Miroku bent over her with his usual cocky, arrogant, grin plastered across his face. _Great, now the asshole is stalking me._

Sango quickly scrambled to her feet, her fists clenched at her side, ready to strike if he didn't explain himself immediately. "What the hell are you doing here Miroku?"

Miroku pointed to the open gate. "Well you kind of left the gate open and you never answered my calls earlier so..."

Sango got close to his face. "You're a real creep, you know that!"

"Only towards you my dear Saaan-go." He teased, flicking the wing of her nose with his index finger.

She angrily smacked his hand away from her face. "Cut the crap Miroku! Why are you here?"

Miroku took off his shoes and socks, setting them aside. He sat down at the edge of the pool. His feet dipped under the water's surface, soaking the bottom half of his jeans. Sango sat down next to him with her arms crossed.

"Well? I'm waiting..." she hissed.

Miroku let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Sango. I'm sorry I hurt you."

Sango unfolded her arms. She was happy that Miroku had apologized but also confused because he was being so sincere. Usually, he would try to lie his way out of a situation like this with some kind of half-assed excuse, and yet he was apologizing like a normal person. Maybe it was time to forgive him since it was obvious that the tension between them was killing her just as much.

Sango fidgeted with her hands. "You don't have to apologize. If anything I'm the one who should be apologizing to you for kicking you in the jaw. I over-reacted and I'm sorry. I should have just let it go. I mean it's not like we are dating or anything."

"Sango, you needn't make excuses for me, I know I did you wrong and I'm sorry. I shattered your trust in me, in all fairness I deserved that kick in the face." he objected.

"It's okay, really. Just don't let it happen again. You're not the most trustworthy or the brightest around women y'know. What if that girl was to press rape charges on you after the act? You know drunk women can't consent right? According to the law, rape is defined by having intercourse through force or coercion. Alcohol is considered a mind-altering substance therefore if the girl was hammered and if you were to have sex with her, that would be considered rape by coercion. If you were convicted you would be classified as a registered sex offender and you would get jail time considering that it wasn't..."

Miroku placed his hand over hers to shut her up from her insistent lawyer babble.

Sango blushed when his hand made contact with hers. "Your first offense..."

"I appreciate the crash course in consent laws Sango but you're not being honest with yourself, you were upset because you have feelings for me."

Sango covered her now crimson cheeks with her hands. "W-what are you saying. You're my friend I couldn't possibly..."

Miroku sighed, she definitely wasn't going to make this any easier with the blatantly obvious denial of her true feelings for him. "Sango, even if you won't tell me your feelings. Will you at least hear mine out?"

Sango nodded, her heart beat wildly in her chest. This was it, the moment of truth.

"All of the other women I have ever flirted with, they mean nothing to me. Sango, you are not like those other women. You are so precious to me that I couldn't bear to even think about the way I had hurt you like I did last night. You see, I've never had such strong feelings for a girl like you, or any girl for that matter before, so I panicked. I pushed you aside because I didn't want to hurt you, even though it all backfired and I ended up hurting you anyways."

"The reason why I never asked you out was because I felt like If you were with a guy like me, I would only hold you back. Sango, you have your whole life ahead of you. You're going to an Ivy League college for crying out loud. You have goals and ambitions that you need to fulfill. I only have delusions of grandeur."

Sango stood up, trying to hide the tears streaming from her face again. "It's okay, Miroku. I understand if you just want to be friends. It will be like the same it has always been right?"

She walked towards her back door. "Well, since it's all said and done. I'm going back inside. Do me a favor and lock the gate on your way out okay."

"Sango, I wasn't finished. Even though you're going to college soon and we will be far apart for months on end. I still want to give us a shot. Sango, if you will have me, can I be your boyfriend?"

Sango paused, her fingers hovered lightly over the knob of her back door. She smiled, wiping away her tears so she could turn to face him.

"Of course, you big dummy!"

"Really? You will?" There was something akin to pure astonishment in his voice. Miroku walked over to her, he grabbed her by the hand, embracing her in a loving hug. "Sango, you have no idea how happy I am right now."

Sango slowly returned his embrace by snaking her hands around his back, feeling the intricate stitch-work of his hand-sewn vest patches.

"Of course there would be some provisions to dating me of course. Understand that you are not to flirt with other women, and even though we are officially dating now, don't grab my ass in public but you can..."

Before Sango could finish her oral contract, Miroku brought his thumb under her chin, interrupting her with a soft kiss on the lips.

He pulled back from the kiss, smirking. "Did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?"

Miroku was taken aback when she slowly brought his battle jacket off of his shoulders.

"Uh, Sango. Not that I object to it or anything but what are you doing?"

Sango tossed Miroku's battle jacket on the porch swing by the backdoor. "I don't think you would want to get that vest of yours ruined by what I'm about to do."

"Oh, and what's that?" He smirked, not realizing he was dangerously close to the edge of the pool.

Sango placed her hands upon his shoulders. "This."

Before he knew it Miroku landed in the pool with a loud splash. He brushed his now wet bangs out of his face only to notice Sango stripping out of her shorts.

He moved to the edge of the pool. "Sango, I never knew you were so kinky."

Sango removed the oversized nightshirt, revealing the red hi-cut one piece swimsuit underneath it. "What? It's just a bathing suit."

She crouched down to face him, looking slightly annoyed. "You thought I was naked under there didn't you, pervert?"

"Party Pooper." Miroku splashed her in the face, sticking his tongue out at her.

"That's it, you're dead!" Sango laughed as she cannonballed into the deep end of the pool.

While Miroku was busy taking off his wet band shirt in the pool, Sango snuck up behind him. Grabbing his ponytail, she brought him down with her. When the two of them rose to the surface she splashed him in the face. "Now we're even."

Miroku's gaze locked onto hers as he moved in closer to her. Sango couldn't look away from his intense stare. She didn't know what he had planned behind those steely dark blue eyes, all she could do was wait for his response.

Miroku grabbed Sango by the thighs, pulling her beautiful body against his. He murmured her name under his breath as he moved in for another kiss, this one slightly more forceful than last time but still pleasantly soft nonetheless. Sango parted her mouth slightly as he ran his tongue over her lips. Instinctively, his tongue invaded her open mouth. Sango's eyes snapped open at the sudden feeling of his tongue stroking hers. It didn't feel bad, just different. Miranda had once told her that making out with guys who smoked tasted like licking an ashtray. Miranda was wrong on that one, Sango did taste a hint of smokiness in Miroku's mouth but it definitely wasn't like licking an ashtray. She closed her eyes again as Miroku worked his magic on her mouth. Suddenly, the strange feeling of his tongue rubbing hers started to feel good, intensely good. Her face flushed with excitement.

Sango brought her hands to Miroku's chest, feeling the warmth radiate from his bare skin. Then she moved her arms behind his neck to hold him closer, her legs wrapped around his torso under the water. She made a gasp in the back of her throat when his hands moved from her thighs to cup her butt. Instead of slapping him like she usually did, she let him feel her up to his heart's content. Her body was too enraptured by his touch to even care.

Miroku broke away from the kiss, feeling it was best if he stopped while he was ahead. Now that Sango was finally his girl he would have plenty of time to romance her like she deserved.

After their apparent make out session, Miroku and Sango sat on the edge of the pool once again, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and her head leaned against him.

Sango moved her feet around in the water. "You know, I'm glad."

"About what?" Miroku asked.

Sango smiled, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink. "I'm glad that my first kiss was with you."

"You mean you've never kissed anyone before? I find that hard to believe."

Sango shook her head. "Nope you were my first. I've never had a boyfriend before tonight either."

Miroku chuckled. "I already knew that, Sango."

Sango looked at him, dumbfounded. "Wait, how did you know that I've never had a boyfriend? I never told you about it."

"Kohaku told me."

"Oh, and what else has he told you?"

Miroku cocked his head up. "Let's see, he told me that you slept with a stuffed koala named Koko until you were fourteen, you're highly allergic to shellfish; so you freak at the sight of lobsters, and you sometimes snort when you laugh."

Sango frowned. "Why that little..."

Miroku kissed the back of her free hand. "Have I told you lately how cute you are?"

Sango shyly smiled at his flirtatious comment. "No, but I have a feeling I'll hear it a lot more often."

"Damn right you will." Miroku remarked as he rose up from the edge of the pool. He grabbed Sango's hand to help her on her feet as well.

Miroku gazed up at the night sky while he wrung the water out of his shirt. "Looks like it's getting pretty late. Come to think of it, it was already past midnight when I got here."

Sango stretched her arms, letting out a big yawn. "Yeah, I think I better head inside as well, I've hardly had any sleep all day."

Sango picked her wadded-up pajamas off the ground. She slid the shorts and sleep shirt over her damp swimsuit. Miroku followed suit by putting his battle jacket and shoes back on. He slung the wet t-shirt over his shoulder so he wouldn't forget it at Sango's house. He stopped Sango right before she tried to open the back door to her house.

"Oh Sango, aren't you forgetting something before I leave?" Miroku asked, making a kissy face with his index finger pointed at his lips.

Sango opened the door and stepped inside. She poked her head out the doorway. "Don't press your luck. Goodnight Miroku."

"You wound me babe!" Miroku joked, feigning an injury to the chest.

Miroku watched as Sango shut the door behind her. In seconds she was out of his sight at least until he walked past her bedroom window, not before noticing the silhouette of her luscious body moving about behind the mini-blinds. He walked some more, stepping past the gate to the back fence. Following Sango's orders he locked the gate by standing on his tiptoes to move the lever from the inside.

* * *

As he walked the path home, Miroku grinned like a hyena. After all this time he couldn't believe it finally happened, Sango became his girlfriend! He had really expected the worst when he asked her the question because she was going to leave for school in a matter of weeks. Miroku traced his lips with his finger thinking back to the kiss they shared in the pool. Her lips were absolutely divine, pillowy soft to the touch. Far better than he ever imagined. He still couldn't believe that was her first kiss and that it was with him nonetheless! Even though he knew Sango was a virgin he never expected her to be a kissless virgin. Most normal eighteen year old girls have at least kissed somebody once. Then there was that swimsuit Sango was wearing. Oh sweet Buddha that swimsuit! The way the red spandex hugged her body was enough to make him blow out the zipper in his jeans if he had any less restraint.

Miroku walked around the last block before he reached the street with his house on it. He happily hummed the tune to "Cant take my eyes off you" by the Four Seasons. Even though he was the type that would eat, breathe, and sleep heavy metal, Miroku still had respect for the oldies, mainly out of nostalgia since his parents were really into big band music and crooners. Listening to the oldies every now and then reminded him of his family's Buick station wagon. Good times were held in that car, well except for that one time on vacation when his family got stranded outside of Yellowstone and had to wait almost 17 hours for a tow-truck. Miroku stopped humming the tune. Instead he began to outright sing it, not even caring one damn bit about how much of a goofball he looked as he poorly swing-danced by his lonesome, singing down the dimly-lit street. When he got to the chorus of the song, he couldn't help but bellow it out at the top of his lungs.

" _I LOVE YOU BAABY! AND IF IT'S QUITE ALRIGHT,_

 _I NEED YOU BABY TO WARM THE LONELY NIGHT._

 _I LOVE YOU BABY! TRUST IN ME WHEN I SAY._

 _OH PRETTY BABY, DON'T BRING ME DOWN I PRAY_

 _OH PRETTY BABY, NOW THAT I'VE FOUND YOU STAY_

 _AND LET ME LOVE YOU..."_

Miroku abruptly stopped his singing when he noticed a taxi-cab on the curb outside of his house. His dad stood in front of the cab with his arm leaned over the hood, bitching the cabbie out about something that he couldn't quite make out. Miroku creeped past his dad and the man, trying his best to remain unnoticed. Even though he stayed out late very often his parents still reamed his ass if he was out all night. Miroku opened the front door of his home, finding it strange that the lights were on in every room of the house at this time of night.

Miroku took a couple of steps inside of the house only to be greeted by a pissed-off looking teenage boy sitting cross-legged on the couch, mad-dogging him with cold golden brown eyes. The teen was dressed in a uniform-like black jacket with a Japanese flag patch ironed on the shoulder. Vulgar hand-stitched kanji characters ran down the open sides of the long jacket. A wooden katana was firmly placed in between the teen's folded arms. The teen's unruly long black hair shifted to the side in the breeze of the table fan next to him. Whoever this guy was, he looked like bad news.

" **Oi, who the fuck are you?"** the strange guy shouted in Japanese. His cold stare locked on Miroku, who could only stand confused in the open doorway.

* * *

[A/N] This chapter was ridiculously hard to finish! I had way too many good ideas that swam around in my brainmeats that I found it incredibly difficult to try to squeeze them all out in writing. Anyways, the 13th chapter should be posted soon. Although I think I may take longer on it, since I posted two chapters within a couple of days of each other. But don't worry It will be up. There's no way I will abandon this story just when it's starting to all come together. Peace.

Also, I apologize for writing about boners so much. For some reason they fascinate me, probably because I can never get one due to my lack of a penis. -_-

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Queen ft. David Bowie - Under Pressure**

 **Alice Cooper – Poison**

 **Saxon – Princess Of The Night**


	13. The Reluctant Visitor

Chapter 13: The Reluctant Visitor

Miroku blinked in confusion at hearing the stranger on the couch's remark. _Did that guy just ask who I am; In MY own house?_

"Uh, I live here. Frankly, I think I should be asking you that question." Miroku responded, still taken aback. Just who the hell was this guy?

Just then, the door behind Miroku slammed shut as his dad angrily brushed past him, taking a seat at one of the chairs at the dining room table.

"Dad, who's the guy on the couch?"

Kyo looked over his shoulder at his confused son. "Talk to your mother, I had nothing to do with this."

Minutes later, Chieko called the entire family into the living room for a family meeting. Miroku's dad was still very pissed off about something, Rin sat on the floor half asleep, and Chieko nervously tapped her foot on the hardwood floor, preparing to give an explanation to her disgruntled, tired, family.

"So who's the weirdo on the couch, mom?" Rin yawned, leaning against one of the end tables.

Chieko cleared her throat as she walked over to the reluctant stranger. "This is Inuyasha Takano, he's the son of a late friend of mine from Tokyo. He will be staying with us for a while.

"What's the occasion?" Miroku asked, finding it incredibly strange that his mom hadn't mentioned anything about a visitor especially since his mom usually freaked about that kind of thing, especially when the house hadn't been cleaned in an entire day.

"How do I put this in the right words...You see, your father and I are his godparents and since he has no other family that is willing to take him in, we..."

Kyo interrupted his wife. "There is no "we" in the picture, your mother planned all this a month ago and didn't tell me a goddamn thing about it.

"Kyo, Hush!" Chieko snapped at her husband. "Anyways as I was saying I offered to take him in, so everyone do your best to make Inuyasha feel welcome in our home. This is his first time in the US and it would be great if you, Miroku, could help him adjust as much as possible. Please, go easy on him, he just lost his mother and..."

"Stop mom. I get it."

Chieko clasped her hands together. "Good, now if you don't mind. Take him to your room. Your father and I need to have a little chat."

Miroku motioned for Inuyasha to follow him upstairs. "Come on. I'll show you where you can crash at."

Inuyasha grabbed his suitcase, reluctantly he followed Miroku upstairs. Once Inuyasha was inside of Miroku's room, Miroku reached into the back of his closet, taking out a navy blue sleeping bag. He tossed the roll to Inuyasha.

"That's your bed for the night. We will work on cleaning the guest room tomorrow or something."

Inuyasha sat the rolled up sleeping bag aside. "Thanks, I guess."

Miroku reached into his dresser for some clean clothes since he was still wet from the pool at Sango's house. He pulled out a clean pair of boxers and a t-shirt. "I'm going to go take a shower, I'll be back in fifteen minutes or so. My parents should be done downstairs so if you're hungry there's leftovers in the fridge."

"Also, I wouldn't roll out the sleeping bag anytime soon, unless you want the dog claiming the spot first, he's known to be very territorial." Miroku said, pointing to the _other_ Inuyasha curled up on the bed.

Miroku wadded his clean clothes under his arm as he headed towards the bathroom, leaving the two Inuyashas alone in the room.

* * *

Curiously, Inuyasha crept over towards the sleeping dog at the foot of Miroku's bed. The dog's ears twitched as the stranger's hand came closer to the akita-inu's white fur. Inuyasha glanced at the dog's red bone-shaped ID tag on the collar. He frowned when he realized that the stinkin' mutt had the same name as him.

Inuyasha tapped the sleeping dog on the head. The dog poked his head up, immediately taking notice of the stranger in the room. The two of them stared at one another until the dog had enough of it and went back to sleep. Inuyasha leaned against the bed, fidgeting with his wooden sword as he waited for that Miroku guy to return into the room. He recalled what went down in the living room earlier with Chieko's confused family. _They_ were confused at the situation? How about him? Up until two days ago he was on the streets of Tokyo and now he was stuck in some weird beach town an entire ocean away where hardly anyone spoke his language. Inuyasha knew some English from watching American movies but it was definitely not enough to carry on a conversation, well unless the conversations were mostly swear words like fuck, shit, or asshole.

Inuyasha scowled, This was all that jerkass Sesshomaru's fault, if Sesshomaru had just let him live in his mom's apartment and not have tipped off the landlady that Izayoi had passed away he wouldn't be in this mess. It wasn't like the senile old bat really checked on the tenants in the first place, he could have gotten a job. He could have paid the rent. If it wasn't for Sesshomaru's meddling he'd still be home.

But no, that jerk had to ruin everything. After his mom died, that fucker wouldn't even take him in. What was that guy's damage anyways? Inuyasha suspected that the reason Sesshomaru was such a dick to him his entire life was because he was scared that Inuyasha would take over Taisho Corp. As if. Like he would want to run some stuffy ass business, even if it meant that he would be a billionaire. All of his life his older half-brother had it out for him. It only got worse three months ago when his mom died, eliminating the only buffer from Sesshomaru's wrath. It wasn't Inuyasha's fault that his mom and the late billionaire Taisho Takano hooked up sixteen years ago and had him. Sesshomaru always had to hold it over Inuyasha's head that he was the reason that his parents divorced and he was the reason that Taisho died in the car crash on the way to the hospital sixteen years ago. At least the bullshit flight from Tokyo was over with and he was no longer squished in the aisle between two fat, sweaty, Hawaiian-Shirt clad American tourists. Figures that Sesshomaru wouldn't have sprung for a first class ticket despite being one of the richest men in Japan.

Miroku walked back into the room, toweling his hair dry. "So, did you get anything to eat?"

"Not hungry." Inuyasha snarled, twirling the hilt of the wooden sword around in his palm.

Miroku shrugged his shoulders, plopping down on the bed. "Suit yourself."

Inuyasha glanced around Miroku's bedroom. It was a typical guy's room, nothing more. The only things that really stood out were the posters and the guitars he had lined up on the wall. Obviously this Miroku character was some kind of rock musician, his room certainly reeked of pot enough to be one.

"So, are you some kind of musician?" Inuyasha asked, pointing to the guitars lying against the wall.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that." Miroku responded as he doodled with a pen in his sketchbook.

"What do you play?"

Miroku turned to face Inuyasha. "Heavy metal and thrash metal mostly. You wanna hear my demo tape?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "I'll pass."

"I noticed you carry around a wooden sword, what's that all about?"

"Protection. I never know if anyone is going to start shit with me, if they do I beat the fuck out of them."

Miroku sat down his pen. "You do realize that American thugs are an entirely different class from what you're used to right? Also, I'd drop the tough guy delinquent act. The last thing you'd want is to get jumped.

"Feh." Inuyasha scoffed.

Miroku sat his sketchbook back on it's respective spot on the stereo side-table. "Anyways, I'm going to get some shut-eye. You can go downstairs if you want. The TV remote should be on the coffee table."

"Whatever." Inuyasha huffed, picking up the sleeping bag.

When Miroku turned off the lights, Inuyasha headed out of the room and downstairs to the couch in the living room. Picking up the remote from the coffee table, he turned on the TV. Inuyasha flipped through the channels, trying to find at least something he could watch. Eventually he stopped on the MTV channel, even though it was in English like everything else on the TV, at least music videos were pretty much universal in their appeal.

Inuyasha turned down the TV to where the sound was almost mute. He looked around the living room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. This place sure was different. It was nothing like the small Tokyo apartment he shared with his mother. This place was well-furnished and kind of stuffy on the inside. It looked like it belonged in the pages of one of those homemaker magazines. The old apartment was small but it was cozy, Inuyasha didn't own a couch or anything but the pillows and futon mattresses strewn all over the floor made the apartment cozy, and not to mention his mom always had a pantry full of cup ramen for him to chow down on while he would wait for her to get back from work every night.

Inuyasha walked to the front window. Moving the curtains aside, he looked out towards the street. Dead silence, not a single car in sight on the road aside from the mosquito fogger truck making rounds in the neighborhood. This San Diego place was a world of difference away from the bustling metropolis of Tokyo. Inuyasha had never lived this close to a beach in his entire life. Even though Chieko's home was a little ways off from the beach itself he could still smell the ocean breeze when he stepped outside.

Stepping onto the front porch, Inuyasha stretched his arms in the air. It was daylight outside now and people were just starting to wake up for the Monday morning rush. Reaching into his jacket pocket, Inuyasha pulled out a pack of lucky strikes. Thankfully, he was able to find one of those plastic crap lighters in the backseat of the cab. Hopefully, Chieko wouldn't mind if he smoked on the porch as it would seem kind of rude to do it inside the living room. Inuyasha leaned against the house, taking in the sights of suburbia from the shade of the front porch. He fanned himself with his jacket, even though it was only seven in the morning and the weather fairly mild for Southern California, Inuyasha still felt really hot underneath his layers of black clothing. This would take some time to get used to, like hell he would run around without a Jacket to cover himself up with.

"Hot out here isn't it?" A voice echoed from the doorway.

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder to see that Miroku guy step onto the porch.

"I thought you were going to get some sleep?" Inuyasha said, taking a drag of his cigarette.

Miroku sat down on one of the chairs on the porch. "Nah, I only needed an hour at most. So whatcha doing out here?"

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "Beats me, It's not like there's much I _can_ do."

"Mind if I bum one of those?" Miroku asked, pointing to the cigarette in Inuyasha's hand.

Inuyasha tossed Miroku the pack of cigarettes. "Knock yourself out."

Miroku studied the pack of cigarettes. "Luckies huh? Not a bad choice, I'm more of a Marlboro man myself."

"Do you need a light?"

"Nah, I got my own." Miroku said, reaching into the pocket of his battle jacket for his zippo lighter.

"So, you wanna take a walk?" Miroku asked. "I mean you're going to be with us for a while and It's only fair that you know your surroundings."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. "I guess, not like I have anything else to do."

Miroku tossed Inuyasha's cigs back at him. "Cool, follow me then."

* * *

Miroku and Inuyasha walked about the neighborhood. Miroku of course pointed out his neighbors and useful tidbits like houses to avoid. He showed Inuyasha where Jimmy lived, as well as Stony and Andrew's homes. Inuyasha carefully took in his surroundings, this suburb wasn't what he expected. A lot of the houses in this neighborhood looked really old and outdated. Miroku explained that the reason why all the homes looked old was because his neighborhood was one of the oldest in the area, as most of the houses went back to the turn of the century or earlier. Miroku turned on Cherrywood lane, walking right past Sango's house. Inuyasha noticed that Miroku paused in front of it for a brief second.

"So what's the deal with that house? You stopped in front of it."

Miroku stopped walking. "Oh nothing, other than the fact my girlfriend lives there. She's kind of the reason I was out late last night."

"Is she hot?"

Miroku pulled out his wallet. He showed Inuyasha the picture of Sango behind his driver's license. "See for yourself."

Inuyasha glanced at the picture. "She's cute I guess, although she doesn't really look like the type that would date a person like you. Back in Tokyo, girls who look like that usually didn't associate with delinquents."

Miroku placed the picture back into the wallet. "I guess I do kind of stick out from the norm huh? I've never really been to my parent's motherland but tell me, is it true that everyone over there is super uptight?

"Only the old bastards. I'm sure most people our age are the same anywhere you go." Inuyasha answered, kicking some loose asphalt pebbles around with his shoe.

Miroku stretched his arms. "Anyways, we should probably head back to the house, i'm kind of hungry. Wanna ride with me to go get some grub?"

"I guess."

Miroku and Inuyasha walked the path back to the house, stopping at Miroku's Camaro on the curb. Inuyasha ran his hand over the shiny onyx hood of the car. Miroku had apparently taken extremely good care of the car as it looked like it was practically brand new.

"Nice Camaro, what year is it?"

Miroku unlocked the door to the driver's seat. "it's a 1983 Z28"

Miroku leaned over the center console to unlock the passenger door. "Alright, it's unlocked."

Inuyasha hopped in the front seat, moving some wadded up papers that were in his way.

"I don't know if seat-belt laws were a thing in Japan, but make sure to buckle up. If not I'll get fined." Miroku stated as he started the car.

Inuyasha quickly buckled himself up as the Camaro sped out from the curb.

* * *

Within a couple of minutes Miroku pulled into the parking lot of an orange and brown building. Through the windows of the building it looked like some kind of restaurant, with people sitting down eating at booths on the inside. Inuyasha stepped out of the car. He scoped out the parking lot, noticing that the place was pretty packed.

"Looks crowded inside." Inuyasha grumbled.

Miroku locked the doors to the car. "Yeah, it usually is at this time, but they do have the best omelets in town!"

Once on the inside of the restaurant Inuyasha looked around some more, the place had a down-home feel to it. Lots of "country" themed knicknacks were high upon the shelves as decoration and the curtains on the windows looked very much like picnic blankets with a red and white checkerboard pattern. Miroku walked up to the ultra-peppy hostess at the front to request a table.

"Hi, ya'll welcome to Red Rooster's! How many will I be seating today?" The hostess asked.

"Just two please." Miroku told the hostess.

"Of course. Right this way."

The hostess led Miroku and Inuyasha to a booth near one of the windows. She handed the two men the menu and a flyer with the Monday breakfast specials on it.

"Your server should be here shortly. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask." The hostess said before walking off to resume her post at the front.

Miroku looked down at the menu, eyeballing what to choose for breakfast. He shut the menu.

"Well I already know what I'm going to get how about you?"

Inuyasha's stomach grumbled as he looked at the entree pictures on the menu. Finally, he pointed at the pancake platter. "The pancakes look alright I suppose. You ever had them?"

"Yeah, they're pretty good."

Soon, the waitress for their table arrived. Inuyasha still had his nose stuck in the menu until Miroku tapped him on the shoulder. He looked up from the menu to see a petite, young, raven-haired girl about his age in a red flannel short-sleeved shirt, jeans, and an apron tied around her waist with a notepad in her hand. Fastened to her shirt, the girl had a plastic nametag with a rooster on it that read "Kagome H".

"Hi, welcome to Red Rooster's, I'm Kagome. I'll be your server today. So, what kind of drinks can I get you started on?"

"Just coffee for me, thanks." Miroku answered.

Kagome looked at Inuyasha whose nose was still stuck behind the menu. "And for you sir?"

Miroku nudged Inuyasha on the shoulder, trying to get him to pay attention.

"What?!" Inuyasha snarled at him. "I don't know what to say. I can't pronounce this shit."

"I apologize for my surly friend here, Miss Kagome, his English is not very good."

Kagome giggled. "It's perfectly okay. Lemme guess, Japanese right? And don't worry, I understood him just fine."

Kagome repeated herself, this time in Japanese. "So what will it be?"

Inuyasha slumped down in his seat, avoiding eye contact with the young waitress. "Orange Juice, no ice."

Kagome scribbled both of the orders in the notepad in her hand. "And for the entrees?"

"Yeah, I'll have the southwestern omelet, extra peppers." Miroku said, pointing to the item on the menu.

"And for you?

"Pancakes." Inuyasha grumbled.

"Now, that comes with either bacon or sausage, which one would you prefer?"

"Bacon. I guess."

Kagome scribbled the rest of the order down in her notepad. "Alright, your food should be ready shortly. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

Miroku handed the menus over to her. "Nah, I think we're good here."

The two men watched as Kagome walked off into the kitchen across the way.

Miroku nudged Inuyasha on the shoulder yet again. "Say, our waitress was pretty cute huh?"

"Feh. Looked like another dumb chick to me."

Miroku was positively shocked at his statement. How could Inuyasha even think that a petite beauty like Kagome was not cute?

"You're not gay are you?"

Inuyasha's face turned bright red upon hearing Miroku's audacious question.

"What? No! I just didn't think that chick was all that cute." Inuyasha objected, even though he actually did find the waitress very attractive but not because of the reason Miroku was probably thinking of. That Kagome girl reminded him of someone, someone he was having a hard time letting go of.

"Ever had a girlfriend then?"

"Yeah, but I don't want to talk about it."

"Did something bad happen?" Miroku prodded.

"You just don't know when to quit do you? Anyways, not like it matters anyways. Kikyo's been gone for over a year now."

"Gone? As in moved away?"

"More like moved six feet under." Inuyasha muttered.

"She's dead? How did she die?"

Inuyasha sighed. "That's just it, I don't know. I only found out because her kid sister managed to track me down. By the time I got the news she had already passed on. Kaede never told me any specific details about it. Although part of me suspects her death was a result of foul play."

Miroku fidgeted with the salt shaker. "So let me get this straight, you lost your girlfriend and your mom within two years? Holy shit, that's gotta be brutal."

Minutes later, Kagome made her way back to the table with the orders. She carefully placed all the items on the table, careful not to spill the warm syrup in the small pitcher next to the pancakes."

"Say, Miss Kagome. Would you like to join us?" Miroku offered, patting his hand down on the empty seat in the booth.

Kagome shook her head. "Thanks for the offer but I must get back to work. I already used up my fifteen minute break today. Was nice meeting you though, Mr... I'm sorry I didn't catch your name earlier."

"It's Miroku, and the guy across from me is Inuyasha."

Kagome smiled. "Well, Miroku it was nice meeting you both. Is everything okay here for now?"

Miroku nodded. "Just fine, thanks."

"Super! If you need anything else, just raise the rooster at the table and I'll be back." Kagome exclaimed, pointing to the plastic rooster slider on a pole sitting next to the salt and pepper shakers. She left the table yet again, this time to tend to an elderly couple sitting further down the aisle.

"What the hell was that all about? 'Would you like to join us'." Inuyasha sarcastically mumbled in between bites of syrup drenched pancakes.

Miroku shrugged his shoulders. "What? I thought we could enjoy the extra company."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Liar."

Half an hour later, Kagome returned with the check. Miroku paid the check and waited on Kagome to return with his change from the twenty dollar bill.

Kagome quickly returned with the change. Miroku stuffed the change in his pocket. He pulled out a ten and sat it on the table as a tip.

"Thanks for the excellent service Miss Kagome. I hope our paths will cross again soon." Miroku remarked with a wink as he and Inuyasha left the table.

"What was the money on the table for?" Inuyasha asked as he walked out the door; unfamiliar with the American custom of tipping your server.

"I always tip the waitress, more so if they are total cuties like Kagome."

"Didya have to tip her so much though? That ten could have bought a whole 'nother meal and a dessert."

Miroku laughed as he unlocked the driver's side of the Camaro. "You have a lot to learn, my new friend."

Inuyasha buckled himself up in the passenger seat. "Oi Miroku, I've been meaning to ask you something."

Miroku turned his keys in the ignition. "Yeah?"

"Why the fuck is your dog named after me?"

* * *

[A/N] PSYCHE! You didn't really think I was going to leave Inuyasha as a dog forever now did you? As for Kagome, yeah you will be seeing more of her later on as well. Anyways, Chapter 14 should be up soon, I don't know when that will be but hopefully It won't take me that long to write. Hopefully.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Suicidal Tendencies- Subliminal**

 **Track 2: Judas Priest- Painkiller**

 **Track 3: D.R.I.- Modern World**


	14. Sleepover

Chapter 14: Sleepover.

"Whaddya mean I have to find a place to stay tonight, can't I just stay home or go fishing with you and Kohaku?" Sango pouted at the kitchen table, stabbing her scrambled eggs with her fork out of frustration.

Dan crossed his arms. "Look, if it was any other time I'd say okay, but Kohaku and I have been planning our father/son outing for quite sometime now. Besides, you can't stay home while the exterminator is clearing out the silverfish infestation, it's going to be too dangerous with all those toxic chemicals in the air."

"But the silverfish aren't even that bad, Dad!"

Dan smacked a rogue silverfish on the table with a rolled up newspaper to make a point. "Sango, we are _infested_ with them."

Sango cringed at the goop left behind by the newspaper.

Dan cleared his throat. "Anyways, you need to find a place to stay for tonight. How about Karen's place? I'm sure Greg and Nancy wouldn't mind it if you and Karen had a sleepover."

"I can't stay with the O'Briens they're going to Italy this weekend."

"How about Miranda?"

Sango shook her head. "She's in New Mexico with her Grandma for the summer."

"Okay what about Amy?"

Sango arched an eyebrow at her dad. "Really dad? You know Amy's mom doesn't approve of sleepovers, remember when I was a freshman and there was that one time..."

"Okay I remember, But there must be someone you can stay with?"

Sango tapped her fork on her plate like she was pondering something. "Well, I could always stay at Miroku's house."

Dan dropped his toast from out of his hand, lightly scraping the webbing between his thumb and index finger with the dull butterknife. "Surely you must have some other _female_ friends you can spend the night with?"

"I guess I'll just have to tag along on the fishing trip with you and Kohaku then. I'll go get my tackle-box and pole." Sango said with a smug grin on her face as she stood up from her spot at the table.

Dan sighed. "Wait, since there's no other option, I guess you can stay at _his_ place. But no funny business, even though Miroku is your boyfriend I still don't trust him."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Daddy, it's not like I'm sleeping with him."

"It's not you I'm worried about, it's him. Honestly, I'd prefer it if you weren't tied up with a loser like him at all."

"Dad, Miroku's not that bad. Calling him a loser is kind of harsh.

Dan poured himself some coffee from the pot near the stove. "Be that as it may, that still doesn't mean I have to like him."

"Oh, and by the way Dad."

"Yes, Sango."

"Your bacon is burning."

As Dan rushed over to put out the fire in the skillet on the stove, Sango crept into her bedroom to call Miroku on the phone. Her heart raced as she picked up the phone from the base on the table. Even though she and Miroku were official, well at least since last week, there was still something incredibly nerve racking about calling him and asking to stay overnight. Sure, they visited one another at each others homes fairly often but their visits never extended to overnight. Sango felt her face flush upon realizing what would happen between them if things did get hot and heavy while she and Miroku were alone. Was she really ready to lose her virginity just like that?

Sango nervously dialed Miroku's number into the phone.

"Hello?" Rin's voice answered on the other line.

"Rin, Is that you? It's Sango. Is your brother in?"

"Yeah he's downstairs with the two doggies, I'll go get him."

 _Two doggies?_ Sango wondered.

Sango twirled the phone cord around in her hand as she waited for Miroku to pick up the phone on the other end.

"Hello." Miroku answered.

"Hey, Miroku. It's Sango. I need to ask you a question."

"What's on your mind babe?"

"Well, my house is getting fumigated later on and my dad and Kohaku are going fishing during that time, so Is it okay if I spend the night at your place? It's just until tomorrow morning. I promise I won't take up much room."

Miroku nearly dropped the phone out of his hand. _Did she just ask to spend the night, with me? Could it be that she's ready to..._

"Hello, Miroku are you still there?" Sango's voice echoed through the phone, interrupting his trail of thought.

"Yeah, I'm still here. And no, I don't mind at all if you stay."

"Great! I'll be over at around 3pm."

* * *

Miroku stared at his wall when the phone went to a dial tone. He crashed onto his bed, still in shock that Sango asked if she could spend the night at his house. He looked down at the clock radio on his stereo. It was already noon so he had at least two hours to get the house cleaned before Sango's arrival. He hastily picked up all of the trash in his room and the clothes off the floor, throwing everything into the closet.

In the kitchen, Miroku grabbed the broom and a dustpan to sweep the living room. When he got to the living room it was a pigsty. Apparently, Inuyasha didn't listen to Chieko's rule about not eating in the living room without permission. Empty cup ramen containers and potato chip crumbs littered the floor beside the couch. On the couch itself, Inuyasha lay face down, asleep with his arm hanging off the cushion. Miroku lifted up the couch, knocking the sleeping teen clean off in the process.

Inuyasha rubbed his head. "What the fuck did you do that for?" he barked.

"Move, I gotta clean the couch."

Inuyasha blew a piece of his hair out of his face. "Why? your mom just cleaned it yesterday."

Miroku pointed to the chip crumbs littered about the fabric of the sofa. "That's why. Also, I'd appreciate it if you didn't eat in here, we do have a dining room table for a reason you know."

"What jumped up your ass and died?"

"Nothing, It's filthy in here and I'm expecting company over."

"Is it that Jimmy guy again? I swear that dude is weird as shit." Inuyasha remarked, finding another spot to sit at the dining room table.

Miroku pulled out the dirt devil and the carpet cleaner from the closet in the hall. "No, it's not Jimmy, my girl is going to spend the weekend here and I want the house to look good when she arrives later on."

"You better not get freaky with her on _my_ couch. I sleep there." Inuyasha grumbled.

"Your couch? I've boned so many chicks on that couch it's a miracle that it's still standing." Miroku bragged as he vacuumed the crumbs off the couch with the dirt devil.

"Gee thanks, it's not like I wanted to sleep tonight anyways." Inuyasha grouched, his voice ripe with sarcasm.

Miroku ignored the sarcastic teen in the dining room. He continued to clean up the mess on and beside the couch. Miroku coughed when he turned on the carpet cleaner, clearly it hadn't been used in a while as soap flurries bellowed out of the side of the machine.

"Are you done yet?" Inuyasha hollered from the dining room.

Miroku ran the nozzle of the machine over the couch cushions. "Not even close, if you're bored maybe you can go walk the dog or something? He seems to have taken a liking to you."

"I ain't walking your stupid mutt for you."

Miroku turned off the carpet cleaner. He took another good look at his handiwork. The couch was damn near spotless, not a single crumb or sticky stain in sight.

Inuyasha returned to the couch. "So I take it you're finally done."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't sit on it if I were you unless you want a soggy ass. The couch will take an hour or so to dry out completely."

"So what am I supposed to do then?"

Miroku shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, find someway to entertain yourself. Rin has board games upstairs, maybe you can play Operation since you seem to be missing a funny bone."

"I'll pass." Inuyasha grumbled as he trudged upstairs to crash on the guest room bed for the time being.

Just as soon as Inuyasha made it upstairs, Miroku's dad stepped through the front door to take off his shoes. The man looked tired and worn, as if the work day drained all signs of life out of him.

"Rough day at work, Dad?" Miroku asked.

Kyo adjusted the glasses on his tired face. "I lost an important account today, I need to rest for a little while."

Kyo looked around the room, he noticed that Inuyasha wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Where's the freeloader at? He's not glued to the couch for once."

Miroku rolled up the cord to the carpet cleaner. "Upstairs. I had to chase him away while I cleaned."

"That's good, papa needs his couch."

Miroku stopped his dad before he sat on the couch. "I wouldn't sit there If I were you, I just shampooed it."

"What's the occasion? You never do housework."

"Sango is coming over to spend the night with us while her house is getting fumigated, I hope that's alright with you."

Kyo chuckled. "I see. I don't mind it, I haven't seen my future daughter-in-law in a while anyways. Just do me one small favor Miroku."

"Yeah dad."

"If you and Sango decide to get busy tonight, use protection. Even though your mother and I want grandchildren, we want a wedding first."

Miroku's eyes widened in surprise at his dad's raunchy remark. "Okay then."

* * *

Sango parked the Trans Am behind Miroku's Camaro on the curb. She peered up at the grayish blue house looming in front of her, it had been a while since she was last at his house as Miroku usually preferred to spend time at her place for some odd reason. She slung her heavy backpack with her clothes and other useful items over her shoulder as she opened the passenger side of the car to grab Kirara's pet kennel. Once she had all of her items in check, Sango headed towards the front door. Before she could even lift the bronze knocker, Miroku opened the door to greet her from the other side.

Sango stepped inside the house. "Do I smell soap?"

Miroku slid the heavy backpack off Sango's shoulders. "Yeah, I just shampooed the couch. Anyways follow me upstairs."

Sango followed Miroku upstairs. Once upstairs, Miroku placed the large backpack and the pet kennel in Rin's room. Rin jumped off the bed to let the cat out of the cage. "Does the cat bite?" Rin asked.

Sango shook her head. "No, Kirara is very friendly. If you want to play with her, Rin, I have some of her cat toys in the front pocket of my backpack.

Miroku shut the door to Rin's room. "Looks like you and Kirara will be bunking with Rin tonight. As you can see from across the way, the guest room is occupied for the time being." Miroku said, pointing to the open guest room where Inuyasha had passed out on the bed.

"Who's that?" Sango asked peering into the doorway to the guest room.

"Inuyasha apparently. He just kind of showed up a few days ago. He's a nuisance. Don't worry about him, if anything he pretty much keeps to himself."

"You talking shit about me, asshole?" Inuyasha yelled from his pillow.

"Well since you're up, I'd like you to meet someone. Sango this is Inuyasha, Inuyasha this is my girlfriend Sango."

"Hello." Sango waved at the newcomer.

Inuyasha took a hard look at her. "Feh." he snorted, crashing his head back into the pillow.

Miroku shut the door to give Inuyasha some privacy.

"Well, that was kind of rude." Sango huffed.

"You'll get used to it, eventually. Anyways feel free to make yourself at home."

"Once again, thanks for letting me stay here Miroku. I apologize since it was so last minute."

Miroku embraced Sango from behind. "Don't mention it." He hugged her tighter, brushing against her cheek. She gasped when his teeth gently nipped the rim of her ear.

"Sango, if you feel like leaving Rin's room during the night, there's always room in my bed."

Sango blushed, pulling herself free from his embrace. "I'm sure I'll be just fine."

The two of them awkwardly gazed at one another for a brief second until Sango remembered something important. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Wait right there Miroku."

Sango rummaged through her backpack in Rin's room, taking out a VHS tape. She handed the tape to Miroku.

"Kohaku said you may want to watch this later, he just got it in last week."

Miroku read the title of the VHS tape. "Invasion of the Martian Zombies. I've been meaning to watch this one, tell Kohaku I said thanks when you get the chance."

"Maybe we can watch it together." Sango suggested. "Kohaku mentioned it's supposed to be a funny one anyways due to how bad the B-movie grade special effects are."

Sango glanced around the hallway. "Do you know if anyone is in the bathroom right now?"

"I'm pretty sure it's unoccupied." Miroku responded.

"Good, because I really have to go." Sango said, rushing off to the bathroom at the other side of the hall.

Sango shut the door behind her in the bathroom. She unbuttoned her shorts; shocked to see a big bloodstain right in the center of the crotch. She cupped her face with her hands. Of all the times 'Aunt Flo' had to arrive this had to be the worst. What was she going to say to Miroku if they were in the mood later on? _Oh, I'm sorry I can't let you touch me at all because I'm really gross right now._

Sango rummaged through the cabinet in the bathroom, looking for any kind of feminine product because somehow she forgot to stuff some pads in her backpack before she left the house. Hopefully Miroku's mom would have something stashed something in the cabinet under the sink she could use. Sango felt around until she came to a hollow spot at the back of the cabinet. Her fingertips brushed over what felt like the edge of a magazine. Curiously, she fished the object out of the hole. Sango let out a small shriek when she realized exactly what it was. It was porn, hardcore porn. She reached into the hole again, pulling out several more porno magazines. Sango flipped through the glossy pages of one of the magazines at the top of the pile, stopping on a page with a girl in braided pigtails biting down on a crucifix while riding the guy under her in reverse cowgirl. The most striking thing about the image was that the school uniform the girl wore in the picture looked eerily similar to the one Sango wore at St. Catherine's. Sango immediately shut the magazine.

Miroku knocked on the bathroom door. "Is everything okay in there, I heard you shriek."

"Yeah, I'm fine I'll be out in a minute." Sango yelled loud enough so he could hear her through the door.

Sango stuffed the magazines back into the hole in the cabinet. This day was turning out to be absolutely _perfect_ , first her period hit her like a ton of bricks and now she just found her boyfriend's porn stash.

Sango sat down on the toilet, wrapping her blood soaked panties with toilet paper as a makeshift pad until she would be able to go to the store. Sango flushed the toilet then she washed her hands in the sink, still thinking about the best way to remain inconspicuous about her situation.

Sango exited the bathroom, zooming past Miroku as she ran down the stairs.

Miroku caught up to her when she made it to the bottom of the stairwell. "What's the hurry?"

"I-I got to go to the store to get something. I'll be back in a little bit." Sango told him, heading out the front door. When she made it to the street she noticed her car was completely blocked in by a row of other cars behind her.

"Yeah it looks like our neighbors, the Epsteins, are having a birthday party." Miroku said, pointing to the balloons hanging off the next-door-neighbor's mailbox and the giant moon bounce towering over the neighbor's backyard fence.

"Great, how am I going to get what I need now?" Sango whined.

"Is it really that important? I mean you just got here."

Embarrassed, Sango held her elbow at her side, She bit her bottom lip as her gaze shifted down to her crotch. "Actually, yeah."

Miroku scratched the back of his head in confusion, at least until he noticed a faint bloodstain smeared across Sango's thigh. _So that's why she's acting so skittish._

"I see. well in that case, we'll take my car since it's the only one not blocked in." Miroku unlocked the driver's side to the Camaro. Reaching over the center console, he unlocked the passenger side as well.

Sango climbed into the passenger's seat.

"So, where do you want to go?" Miroku asked as he fumbled with his car key.

Sango buckled her seatbelt. "Take me to Rite Aid I guess. It's the closest."

* * *

Miroku wandered around the beverage aisle of the drugstore as he waited for Sango to get what she needed. Even though he sympathized with her problem as much as he could, Miroku was still pretty bummed out that there was no way that he could put the moves on Sango tonight, or even try for that matter. He knew that for most girls, when going through 'that time of the month' sex was out of the question. _It's not fair!_ Miroku whined in his head. He had Sango right where he wanted her and now he couldn't even touch her.

Sango returned to him with a shopping basket full of chocolate and sweets as well as the items she originally planned to get in the first place. "Alright, I think that's everything."

Miroku picked up a pack of sno-balls from the basket. "What's with all this stuff, are we gonna have a party?" He grinned.

"Actually no. You see, when I'm on my cycle I like to pig out on sweets. Don't worry I bought enough for us to share."

Sango walked to the front of the store to pay the cashier for the items.

"I'll go ahead and start the car while you finish up in here." Miroku said, heading out of the store.

Sango nodded. "Okay."

Minutes later, Sango came out of the store with two large shopping bags in her hands. Miroku popped the trunk open so she would have a place to set her stuff.

When they returned to Miroku's place, Sango grabbed the shopping bags out of the trunk. Her car was even more blocked in now as Miroku had to park his car on the opposite side of the street due to the heavy traffic from the party next door. Inside of the house Sango could smell that Miroku's mom had just made dinner. Her stomach grumbled upon realizing that she hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast. Chieko stepped out from the kitchen to greet the both of them.

"There you two are! I was worried for a minute when I went upstairs and my son was gone. Miroku! Why did you not tell me you had Sango-chan over? I would have made something much better for dinner." Chieko said, bopping her son on the head with a wooden spoon.

Chieko looked down at the bag of sweets in her son's hand. "And why did you buy all that junk food? You're going to spoil your appetite! I swear I slave over a hot stove and..."

Sango grabbed the bag from Miroku's hand. "Actually, Chieko-san those are my sweets."

"In that case Sango-chan, let me put those away for you in the pantry, I don't want you to spoil your appetite either."

Sango handed the bag of sweets to Miroku's mom who placed it in the bottom of the pantry.

"Anyways, dinner is ready but you better hurry. Inuyasha is already at the table and you know he has a bottomless stomach. Oh, Sango-chan have you met Inuyasha-kun yet?"

Sango glanced into the dining room where Inuyasha was sloppily scooping up a bowl of rice with his chopsticks at the table. "Yeah we've met."

"He's such a sweet boy isn't he?" Chieko beamed, clasping her hands.

Sango held back a snort at Chieko's observation. Sweet was hardly the word she would use to describe that rude jerk.

After rushing upstairs to take a quick shower and change her shorts, Sango took a seat next to Miroku at the dinner table. This time Chieko made ginger chicken with snow peas. Sango took in the wonderful scent of the food in front of her, wasting no time to dig into her plate.

Sango met Miroku downstairs after dinner with the VHS tape clasped in her hand. Chieko had given them permission to eat in the living room while the movie was on, provided they clean up their mess afterwards. Inuyasha and Rin had also decided to join them in the viewing since the movie wasn't supposed to be all that scary. Sango poured out the contents of the shopping bag on the table, save for the king sized Hershey's bar she had stuffed away in her backpack in case she got cravings later on.

"Alright, dig in you guys."

Miroku's family stared in awe at the large amount of snack cakes and candy covering the coffee table.

"Whoa, it's like junk food mountain!" Rin exclaimed, scooping up one of the single-wrapped brownies.

"This movie is so fake. I can totally tell those guts are oatmeal in food coloring." Inuyasha complained, his mouth full of sno-ball bits.

"That's kind of the point. It's supposed to look fake." Miroku interjected.

"Oi, Sango, What do you call these pink things?" Inuyasha asked pointing to the sno-ball in his hand.

"Oh those, those are Sno-balls." Sango answered him, her eyes glued to the TV screen while watching a very fake looking brain-eating scene.

Inuyasha took more bites of the snack cake in his hand. "They're pretty good, not as good as melon bread but still pretty good."

* * *

When the movie had ran it's course, Miroku, Sango, and Rin cleaned up all of the trash left on the coffee table, being extra careful not to disturb Inuyasha, who passed out on the couch; presumably from the six sno-balls he managed to scarf down during the duration of the film. It was almost midnight and Miroku was already feeling pretty tired. So after sweeping yet again, he bid Sango and his little sister goodnight.

Miroku lay on his side in the comfort of his bed, trying to let the sandman do his job. Rin's room had just gone quiet, meaning that Rin and Sango were probably about to doze off for the night. Miroku followed suit and within a few minutes he fell asleep.

Hours later, he was awoken by Sango's voice softly telling him to scoot over. Groggily, he opened his eyes to see her on the opposite side of the bed. He moved closer to the wall so she would have a place to sit down.

"Sango, what's wrong? I thought you were asleep in Rin's room."

Sango ran her hands through her hair. "I was but I kept getting woken up by Rin kicking me in the leg, so can I sleep with you?"

Miroku grinned. "Of course, only under one condition though."

Sango arched an eyebrow. "Oh, and what's that?"

His fingertips brushed underneath her chin. "Would you let me kiss you goodnight?"

Sango nodded, crawling into the empty side of the bed. Miroku brought her closer to his body and within seconds, his lips met hers. Sango's eyes snapped open when Miroku pulled away from her lips, instead opting to place kisses on her chin and down her neck.

"Um, what are you doing?" Sango questioned, surprised at his sudden change in action.

"Kissing you goodnight, you didn't say that I couldn't kiss you more than once."

Sango's cheeks flushed pink. "No, I guess I didn't."

Miroku nuzzled his face into the crook of Sango's neck and shoulder. The sensation of him kissing that area made her squirm.

"N-not there, I'm ticklish." She squealed, trying to shove his face away from her neck. Instead of stopping, Miroku continued to press on, nibbling the flesh of her sweet spot. Sango jerked her head back, her hands gripped the fabric of his t-shirt collar. Whatever he was doing turned her on something fierce.

Miroku pulled away from her neck, he then gave her one more peck on the lips. "Goodnight Sango." he whispered softly. Releasing her from his embrace, Miroku rolled on his back. Within a couple of minutes, he was conked out.

Sango stared wide-eyed at her sleeping boyfriend, wondering why he didn't go any further. She winced when she felt a small cramp in her lower abdomen. Sango slammed her head against the pillow. _Oh, that's right. I'm totally gross right now._ She glanced over at Miroku, finding herself taking in the sight of him as he slept. He really was handsome, she loved his long eyelashes and the way his unbound shaggy hair framed his sleeping face. Sango frowned. Dammit this was so unfair! She actually wanted him to ravish her tonight. Everything was perfect for her to finally cash-in her v-card but nope, her body had to plot against her.

Sango watched as Miroku's chest rose and fell with each breath. It was no use, the more she tried to distance herself from him, the more she craved him. _Should I?_ She wondered as her fingers traced over the fabric of his t-shirt. Carefully, she lifted his arm, resting it around her waist. Sango moved in closer as she wrapped her leg around his. Placing her arms around his neck, she nestled her head under his chin. Since she positioned herself to where she was practically on top of him, she could feel the soothing warmth of his body. Covering herself with the extra part of the quilt, Sango closed her eyes, smiling. She could definitely get used to this.

The next morning, Miroku woke up with a weight on his chest. He looked down to see Sango snuggled against him, sound asleep. Gently, he brushed a piece of her hair out of her face. Feeling like he wasn't all that ready to wake up just yet; Miroku fell back asleep with a grin on his face. He wasn't quite ready to ruin the moment knowing that later on when Sango woke up, she would probably clobber him for leaving hickeys all over her neck.

* * *

[A/N] Yeah, this chapter had a lot more fluff than I originally planned when I outlined the story at the beginning of the year. Sorry if the subject matter was a little "icky" I wanted to add some kind of minor roadblock in Miroku and Sango's relationship for the time being, but not an overly dramatic one that would take multiple chapters to resolve, if that makes any sense. I'm saving those for later chapters. So yeah, if you aren't female you really aren't going to resonate with this chapter all that much. Also, fans of 'actual dog' Inuyasha need not worry, the little furry bastard is still in the story and he's not going anywhere any time soon.

On another note, if the last chapter confused you. I apologize. I forgot to divide the salt and by the time It made it's debut in the story I was like oh wow, I fucked it all up. (Henry's Kitchen references FTW!) Adding secondary characters has never really been a strong suit of mine and I think that I jumped the gun on that one a little too soon. I'm currently in the process of finding another beta as me and my usual beta kind of had a falling out here recently due to minor disagreements and crap completely unrelated to the story. Until I find another beta I will probably be self-editing like I did for the first five chapters. If you have any suggestions feel free to drop me a PM, I am open to all forms of helpful tips and any constructive criticisms you may have about the story thus far.

 **80's Slang/General Glossary:**

 **Aunt Flo** \- Polite way of saying "Menstrual Cycle" (I.E. "I can't go swimming because my Aunt Flo is visiting.")

 **Sno-Ball** \- A bright pink coconut and marshmallow covered chocolate snack cake made famous by Hostess. Similar to the Twinkie and the Zinger but much less popular with children.

 **V-Card** \- If you are a virgin, you have one of these. To "cash it in" means to lose your virginity.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Madness- Our House**

 **Track 2: Genesis- Invisible Touch**

 **Track 3: Betamaxx- Dreamer (Not "true" 80's music but I think new retro synthwave works just fine since it fits the 80's aesthetic)**


	15. Kindred Spirits

Chapter 15: Kindred Spirits.

Kagome Higurashi flipped through the stack of newspaper articles strewn about her desk. The blue light from the monitor of the Commodore 64 illuminated her sleep-deprived face. Digging around the seemingly never-ending stack, Kagome found what she was looking for; a newspaper article from the New York Times dated from December of 1980. She thought back to her run-in with those two guys at work, concentrating on the one named "Inuyasha", Somehow that name seemed familiar, then again there couldn't be many other guys named Inuyasha, the name was far too uncommon. Kagome's eyes skimmed over the article, stopping at a newsprint photograph of the two sons of the late billionaire Taisho Takano at a ritzy international charity event in place of their father. Her hunch was right. Even though the photo was over five years old, she recognized Inuyasha right off the bat. Inuyasha's hair was much shorter back then but he had the same perpetually pissed-off expression from when she met him at the restaurant. Now the real question was, what was the teenage son of a billionaire doing in San Diego and if it had anything to do with the recent billionaire murders?

Kagome placed the newspaper article into it's spot in the filing cabinet. She pulled out another newspaper article, this one was very recent from the Sunday edition of the Los Angeles Times. Her eyes skimmed over the headline of the newspaper.

 **Vernon Hoffmeister (53) founder and C.E.O. of the Hoffmeister Group, found dead in his Ventura, California mansion. Notorious "Billionaire Killer" Still at large.**

"Another one? This 'Billionaire Killer' is getting too elusive." Kagome mumbled under her breath as she cut the article out of the newspaper, pasting it into her spiral notebook with a glue stick.

Kagome crashed on her bed, rubbing the sides of her head in exasperation. She lifted her fat cat off the bed, resting the animal on her stomach. "Well, Buyo. I do believe we are running out of leads."

Kagome patted Buyo's spotted fur, feeling the vibrations from the cat's loud purring echo throughout her body. Even though she loved solving mysteries, it was really hard work, especially when she didn't have the resources of a professional sleuth. Newspaper articles and taped recordings of CNN broadcasts could only help her so much as this was an international crime. For the past ten years or so this so called "Billionaire Killer" had managed to take out several different billionaires and millionaires, each killing more gruesome than the last. Kagome was at a loss, every time she thought she solved a new piece of the puzzle, the killer would always throw some kind of curveball, leaving her back where she started. If Kagome wanted more leads, she would have to go to the local police and hope like crazy that they would grant her access to the archives in the crime lab. Fat chance that would ever happen, those cops were too damn stubborn and time was running out. In two days Kagome would be off to college and with her studies, she wouldn't have any time whatsoever to set aside for sleuthing.

Kagome looked around her room, most people would find it odd that a sixteen year old girl would have true crime novels and filing cabinets messily stuffed with newspapers of varying sources in the same room as a powder blue, princessy king-sized canopy bed littered with cute stuffed animals. Ever since she was little, Kagome loved mysteries. Especially those in the true crime genre. Heck, Ann Rule was practically her personal hero. Sure Kagome liked the classic whodunnits and cozy mysteries as well, but nothing got the adrenaline in her veins pumping faster than actual witness accounts at the scene of a grizzly crime. She didn't want Professor Plumb, she wanted Jeffrey Dahmer. She liked true crime because she loved to get into the killer's head, to find out how, why, and what made them tick. Whereas other people might want to work in the courtroom to bring justice, Kagome wanted to be at the scene of the crime.

Kagome glanced up at the clock on her wall; it was about a quarter to noon. If she played her cards right, that would mean the officers at the station would be eating lunch and if the officers were preoccupied with stuffing their faces with Magic Burger they would let her in for sure. Kagome slung her heavy back back over her shoulders. She slid down the banister of the spiral staircase, almost knocking over one of the maids carrying a laundry basket the process.

"Sorry, Juanita!" Kagome apologized as she continued to slide down the stairs.

The maid glanced back at her with a sour expression, mumbling something in Portuguese.

At the foot of the staircase, Kagome caught her breath. Hopefully Larson wasn't too busy to give her a ride to the station. Kagome's little brother Sota was already at the end of the stairs, his eyes glued to a handheld game. She quickly ran past him.

"Whoa, what's the hurry sis?" Sota yelled out to his sister before she ran into the three-car garage.

Kagome stopped to answer her little brother. "I gotta go to the police station, do you know if Larson is busy right now?"

Sota shook his head. "Nope."

"You do know those cops aren't going to let you snoop right? You're wasting your time!" Sota shouted at his sister.

Kagome rushed into the garage where she found her family's chauffeur, Larson, buffing out wax on the Rolls Royce. She started to ask him her question, only to be met with silence as Larson had his headphones on humming the tune to Bob Seger's "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" Kagome tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. Larson shifted his headphones around his neck.

"Ah, Miss Kagome, what brings you here?" Larson asked, tossing the wax covered rag into the corner.

"I need a ride to the police station."

Larson sighed. "You're going to bug those police officers _again_? Honestly, Miss Kagome, you know they are just going to say no like the other five times you've been down there."

Kagome nodded, "I'm not going to give up until they let me access the archives, I don't want my research to go to waste y'know. Besides, I have work tomorrow morning and then I have to spend the rest of the day packing for school. If I don't try now, I won't have another chance for months. Please Larson, I **need** this. She pleaded.

Larson begrudgingly unlocked the doors to the Rolls Royce. "Alright, I'll drive you to the station."

Kagome gave Larson a friendly hug. "Thanks Larson, you're the best!"

Larson cleared his throat. "Before we leave, There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

Kagome blinked. "Oh, and what's that?"

"Forgive me if I'm out of line Miss Kagome, but why on Earth did you even get a job as a waitress, it's not like you needed the money or anything."

"Life experience of course! Just because I'm a little more well-off than the average teen, it doesn't mean that I should skip the milestone of having a first job." Kagome stated, trying to get the seatbelt buckle to snap into it's slot.

"I guess I can't argue with that logic." Larson said, backing out of the garage and onto the street. The sun beamed off the onyx coat of the Rolls Royce as Larson drove out of the gated subdivision.

At the police station Kagome wasted no time to barrel through the front door, straight to the front desk. She nervously tapped her foot, waiting for the female officer at the desk to hang up from a phone call on the other line. Slowly but surely the officer did just that.

"Can I help you?" the officer asked, rolling her eyes at the unwanted guest.

"Hi, I just wanted to know if Detective Turner is on duty today, I need to ask him something very important."

"Detective Turner is out to lunch at the moment. I can leave a message for him if you'd like."

Kagome shook her head. "That won't be necessary, Is there anyone else on duty at the moment that can help me out then?"

"Hold on, let me page someone."

Kagome sat down in one of the navy blue vinyl-covered chairs in the lobby, patiently waiting for one of the officers to help her out.

Minutes later, Officer Sato called her in his office. Kagome crossed her fingers in hopes that this would be the day that she would finally get some actual leads.

* * *

Shortly after Kagome was called into Officer Sato's office. Sango walked through the front door of the police station with a bag from Magic Burger. She offered to bring her dad lunch since he was stuck working on his day off. Dan seemed to be working over a lot recently. Heck, he even missed out on one of Kohaku's baseball games last week because of work. Even though Dan took both of his children out for ice cream after he left work that day, Sango could tell that he was disappointed that he missed his son's game that evening, especially with it being a playoff game and all. Sango sighed under her breath, that man could work himself into a coma if he wasn't careful.

Hastily, Sango moved her hair to where it draped over her shoulders, making sure to cover any signs of the love-bites on her neck from the other night. The last thing she needed was her dad going off on her for letting Miroku mark her neck like that.

"Afternoon Sango, here to see your old man?" One of the officers on duty asked her.

"Actually, yeah. I brought him lunch." Sango responded, holding up the fast food sack.

Sango sat the bag on the front desk, her attention focused on a raven-haired girl complaining to Officer Sato down the hall. Funny, it seemed like the last couple of times she had been at the station, the same girl was always there. Whoever she was, she was persistent.

"Officer Collins, who's that girl talking to my dad?" Sango asked.

"Oh, her. Well, apparently our precinct has our very own Nancy Drew."

"Nancy Drew?"

Officer Collins averted his eyes back to the girl talking with Officer Sato. "Yeah, she's some rich kid from Clearwater Heights who likes to play detective, she's been coming here for a couple of weeks now, asking If we can let her in the crime lab to conduct research."

Sango watched as the girl storm off in a huff, presumably from her dad telling her that the Crime Lab was off limits to civilians. Sango didn't know what it was, but something about this girl piqued her curiosity. Why did the mystery girl want access to the crime lab so bad, what was so important that she would show up day after day to only be told "No" with every visit.

Sango handed Officer Collins the bag from Magic Burger. "Make sure my dad gets this."

"Where are you going Sango?" Officer Collins asked.

"Outside." Sango said, grabbing two ice-cold bottles of coca-cola from the mini fridge under the desk.

Outside of the building Sango found the girl sitting on one of the benches next to the curb. A large yellow backpack was placed neatly at the young girl's feet. Sango walked over to the girl, trying to figure out the best way to strike up a conversation.

"Mind if I sit there?" Sango asked, pointing to the empty space on the bench.

Kagome nodded, "Sure, go right ahead."

Sango handed the girl one of the bottles. "Here."

"Thanks." the girl responded.

"So, they told you no again?" Sango spoke, taking a small sip of her coke bottle.

Kagome sighed. "Yeah, I don't even know what I was thinking. I knew they were going to say no."

"If you don't mind me asking, what's so important that you need access to the crime lab?"

Kagome reached into her backpack, pulling out her spiral notebook with the newspaper clippings of the billionaire murders.

"This, I'm trying to find new leads on the billionaire murders but It seems that I've hit a dead end in my research. I was hoping the police would help me but well, you saw how that went."

Sango flipped through the notebook, impressed that the girl had taken the time to map out every single case in full detail. Newspaper sources and detailed notes sorted by case lined the pages of the seemingly simple notebook.

"Wow, you've really put a lot of effort into your research. This is impeccable, like the work of a professional private-eye." Sango said, handing the notebook back to kagome

Kagome placed the notebook into her backpack. "Thanks, I try."

Sango held out her hand. "I'm so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I'm Sango by the way, the officer you were talking to in the hallway was my dad. I apologize if he was a little stern."

Kagome shook Sango's hand. "It's alright, I didn't introduce myself either, I'm Kagome, Kagome Higurashi."

Sango's eyes widened. Kagome, that name sounded familiar, like she heard it before. Sango thought hard about it, then she recalled that this Kagome might have been the same Kagome she accidentally hit in the face with a volleyball last year during the regional playoffs against Pembroke Academy.

"Say, Kagome. Do you go to Pembroke Academy by any chance?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, as a matter of fact I just graduated. Why do you ask?"

"Oh nothing really, It's just that I went to Saint Catherine's and I could have sworn that we played your school in the volleyball regional playoffs last year."

Kagome thought about it for a moment. "Ah, yes we did play against Saint Catherine's. If I recall you were the team captain, number 5 correct?"

Sango's eyes widened at Kagome's assumption, shocked that the girl could remember details like that. Kagome either had a photographic memory or she was part elephant. Either way, Sango found it kind of spooky how Kagome could recall something unimportant like a jersey number.

Sango nodded. "Yeah, I was the team captain. Also, I'm so sorry about that really hard serve, I didn't mean to pummel you in the face with the ball. I still feel really bad that I sent you to the hospital mid-game."

"Don't sweat it! My broken nose healed up just fine, see." Kagome laughed, pointing to her nose.

"I really envied you guys, I always wanted to go to Pembroke for their academic track record but it was way too expensive, and the student body seemed a little snooty, no offense." Sango remarked, tracing her foot on the edge of the concrete pavement.

Kagome waved her hand. "None taken."

Sango and Kagome continued to talk about their high school days and other things like how Kagome's mom was the creator of the beloved childrens icon "Mittens the Kitten" and how they both had an affinity for reading true crime novels and watching mysteries. They even had similar tastes in music. Soon, the topic of college came up in their conversation.

"So Kagome, what University did you enroll in for the fall semester?" Sango asked.

"Actually, I just got into Stanford. I was pretty shocked since my grades were fairly average by Pembroke standards, even though I skipped a grade freshman year."

Sango smiled. "Looks like we're headed to the same place then."

"Awesome, I hope I see you on campus!"

Kagome's eyes darted around the courtyard. "Hey Sango, you wouldn't happen to know the time would you?"

Sango shook her head. "My guess is that we've been talking for at least an hour."

Kagome cupped her face with her hands. "Oh crap. I forgot to call Larson, I told him I would only take about fifteen minutes! He's going to be super pissed that I made him wait so long."

"Who's Larson?" Sango asked.

"Larson is my family's chauffeur, he gets really cranky when I make him wait for a long time." Kagome said, rummaging through her backpack for the cell-phone her mom insisted she take with her.

"Ah-ha there it is!"

Sango stared in awe at the large brick-like device in Kagome's hand. "What the heck is that thing?"

"It's a cellular phone. Y'know to make calls on. You've never seen one before?"

"Well, not in person. I just assumed it was some kind of gag prop that businessmen carry around for comedic effect in sitcoms."

Sango watched as Kagome began to dial in a phone number on the cell-phone. Kagome then spoke into the phone.

"Hey, Larson. It's Kagome, I'm just about done here so if you can come pick me up, that would be swell."

Within just a few minutes a black Rolls Royce pulled up beside the two girls. A man who looked like to be in his early thirties stepped out of the car to open the passenger door for Kagome. Sango gawked at the man, finding him to be a little too good-looking to be stuck as a chauffeur.

Kagome introduced the man to Sango. "Sango, this is Larson, my chauffeur. Larson, this is Sango, she's the daughter of one of the officers at the station."

"Afternoon Miss Sango." Larson bowed with the cap of his uniform.

"Um hello." Sango politely waved.

Kagome hopped into the front seat of the Rolls Royce. "Well Sango, I've gotta go but I really do hope we get the chance to hang out again on campus."

Larson tipped his hat again as he shut the passenger door. Sango watched as the fancy-pants car slowly rolled out of the parking lot. She chuckled, for a person who liked mysteries so much, Kagome seemed like quite the mystery herself.

Sango headed back into the direction of the police station, hopefully her dad wouldn't be too mad at her for skipping lunch. By now her cheeseburger and fries were most likely ice-cold.

* * *

 **[A/N]** I don't really have much to say this time around except that my hiatus is finally over and done. On another note, this chapter was a toughie. At first I didn't know where to go with it. I kind of wanted to lay the foundation down for Kagome and Sango's budding friendship in this chapter first and foremost, so I tried the best I could to make the flow seem as natural as possible have the two of them find common ground and that sort of junk. I really enjoyed writing Sleuth! Kagome as she was always kind of meddlesome even in the original series (but in the best way though) so I ran with it. Also a big shout out to everyone who left reviews! If it wasn't for the helpful feedback I received, I would have never gotten this chapter done. So thanks!

 **80's Slang/General Glossary**

 **Commodore 64** \- Often reffered to as the granddaddy of the PC. Although completely useless now, in it's heyday it was the "it" gadget to have for the technologically inclined teenager.

 **Ann Rule-** The De-facto queen of the True Crime genre. She broke major ground in the 80's when she was able to actually interview serial killer Ted Bundy and live to tell about it.

" **The Brick" -** Otherwise known as the Motorola DynaTAC. Or to Saved By The Bell fans the "Zack Morris phone"

 **Swell -** Awesome, Cool.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Hall and Oates – Private-Eyes**

 **Track 2: Siouxsie and the Banshees – Peek a Boo**

 **Track 3: Bananarama – Cruel Summer**


	16. Seperate Ways (Worlds Apart)

Chapter 16: Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

Miroku woke up that Wednesday morning with a hangover from Hell. Last night the members of Mystic Lyzzard celebrated Stony's long-awaited 21st birthday. Miroku drank so much booze at the party that it was a miracle he didn't have to go to the E.R. to get his stomach pumped. Last time he had that much tequila, he woke up face-down in the Epstein's flower bed getting a tongue bath from Sparky, their golden retriever. Sunlight from the window beamed on Miroku's face, making his head pound even more. Jerking the blanket over his head, Miroku tried to doze off once again. Reluctantly, he found falling back asleep an impossible task. He rolled of of his bed, landing on the floor with a thud. _Maybe I'm more hungover than I thought._

Sluggishly, Miroku stood up from the spot. His knees wobbled underneath him as he tried to catch his balance. When he was finally able to stand up straight, he recalled there was something important that he had planned for today but for the life of him he couldn't remember what it was. Miroku shrugged his shoulders, hoping whatever it was would come back to him soon. He looked down at the clock, it was already 2 in the afternoon. Figures, he would have slept for thirteen hours straight with a hangover. Miroku grabbed his wallet from off his stereo, making sure the strippers Jimmy hired for Stony's 21st didn't rob him blind or anything. Moving the leather flap back, he let out a sigh of relief. His cash, his driver's license, Sango's picture, they were all still there. Miroku dropped the wallet to the floor. Suddenly, the thing he was trying to remember came back to him like a bullet to his brain. He was supposed to meet Sango at her house three hours ago to help her pack for the drive to Stanford. Miroku looked down at the clock again, realizing that he had no time to waste if he wanted to see her off before she would be gone for months on end.

Miroku threw on his pants and his shirt from off the floor. Struggling with trying to get the comb to run through his tangled mop, he sloppily bound his hair into his usual ponytail. Like lightning, Miroku ran down the stairs to get his shoes. The house was unusually quiet that morning on account of his dad being at work and Rin away at summer camp for the week. There was no sign of his mom either. His guess was that she was probably out grocery shopping or something. Miroku stopped in his tracks when he heard barking coming from the sliding doors that led to the backyard.

Outside, he saw Inuyasha mess around with the dog on the patio. Oddly enough, the newcomer seemed to be growing fond of the family's other "Inuyasha". A smug grin spread across Miroku's face at the thought of the teen struggling to get the dog to walk on a leash. He pondered about the scenario some more, If Inuyasha could manage to do what nobody else in the house could do, then maybe Chieko would finally get off of his case about being 'lazy' by taking the dog for rides instead of walks. While observing the spectacle out the window, Miroku laughed as Inuyasha fell flat on his ass after losing a tug-o-war battle with the large canine.

Sliding the patio door open, Miroku reached for his beat-up sneakers on the other side. Starting with his right foot, he slipped the shoe on. He pulled the sneaker off when he felt something squishy like play-doh on the inside of the shoe. "Fucking Hell." he griped upon finding a squished dog turd smeared all over the inside of the shoe. Grimacing, Miroku hurled the dog-shit surprise across the backyard. Trying not to trip over any holes in the ground, he hobbled on one foot to the garden hose at the side of the house to wash off the poo from his foot. After he was done with that nonsense, Miroku ran barefoot to his Camaro parked on the curb. If he wanted to get to Sango on time, he would have to nix the shoes altogether. "Maybe I have a pair of flip-flops in the trunk." Miroku mumbled to himself as he played hot-potato to avoid the holes _Inuyasha_ dug in the backyard.

"Where the hell are you going in such a hurry?" Inuyasha barked as Miroku darted past him.

Miroku tossed his car keys in the air. "To Sango's place. I need to tell her bye before she heads off to school. You wanna tag along?"

"Nah, I'll pass."

Miroku shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself. Just make sure you keep the front door locked while I'm gone."

"Inuyasha, did you hear me?" Miroku snapped at the teenager, who was busy wrestling with the dog in the grass.

Inuyasha blew a strand of his hair out of his face. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you. Lock the stupid door."

Miroku ran to the curb to unlock the door to his car. As fast as he could, his hand jerked the key in the ignition. The car screeched as it peeled out on the curb. Miroku hoped like Hell that he wasn't too late.

Once he made it to Sango's house, Miroku saw Sango and her dad in the driveway tying boxes to the roof of her dad's Civic. "Good, I'm not too late." Miroku sighed, relieved that Sango was still at the house and not on the road driving halfway through Orange County.

Reaching into the center console, he grabbed a tube of breath spray. The last thing he needed was to kiss his girlfriend goodbye with booze breath. He stepped out of the car, feeling the scorching heat of the asphalt road penetrate the soles of his feet. "Hot, hot, hot!" he yelped as he hopped to the back of the car to unlock the trunk. Popping open the trunk of the car, he dug through the assorted mess like a hungry rodent. Miroku let out a sigh of relief when he found a pair of grungy looking navy blue flip-flops underneath an old jump cable for a car battery.

* * *

"Alright, that should be the last of them." Sango said to her father as she tied down the last of the boxes.

Dan wiped the sweat off his brow. "Are you sure you don't need anything else? There's still room in the backseat."

Sango double checked the boxes on top and on the inside of the car. "Nope, I have pretty much everything."

"Well anyways, daddy's got to make an important phone call. We'll head out once I'm done. Now are you absolutely sure that you're not forgetting anything? I'd hate to have to make two trips."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Yes dad, I'm sure I have everything I need packed up."

"Alright, alright. I believe you." Dan chuckled, walking back into the house.

Sango let out a big yawn as she stretched her arms in the air. Packing up for the drive had been extremely exhausting. It also didn't help that she woke up at dawn for an early start. She really hoped that Miroku would have shown up like he said he would. With three people working she could have been done a lot faster. Not to mention today would be the last time she would get to see him until thanksgiving and winter break. Sango took in the sight of her house and front-yard, feeling nervous that she would be away from her family for so long. How were her dad and Kohaku going to make it without her there to remind them of things? Who would get up at the crack of dawn nearly every morning to make them breakfast, who would help Kohaku with his math homework if he got stuck or to give him sisterly advice? Sango let out a deep sigh. She was ready to be out in the real world but she hated the fact that she had to leave everything she knew behind to do so.

Sango's body stiffened when she felt someone's hands cover her eyes. She smiled when she realized who it was. Only one person would wear a fingerless leather glove with the faint smell of sandalwood oil on their right hand.

"Guess who?"

Sango chuckled. "Rob Lowe?"

Miroku uncovered Sango's eyes. "Wrong, but I'll let it slide."

"You're late you know." Sango scolded, turning around to face him. She was taken aback when she saw that Miroku looked like a total wreck. His face looked absolutely filthy and he reeked of booze along with some other foul odor she couldn't quite identify.

"What happened to you? You look terrible, Miroku."

"Nothing really, I didn't get much sleep last night is all."

Sango crossed her arms. "Liar. You got drunk with your friends and forgot about me didn't you?"

"Why, Sango, I am appalled that you would think so little of me." Miroku scoffed, dramatically placing his hand over his chest.

Sango quirked an eyebrow. "Miroku, I can smell the alcohol on you from a mile away. You know if you were going to be out all night with the guys celebrating Stony's birthday, you could have at least called me in advance if you were going to be late today."

Miroku's eyes widened. "Wait, how did you know it was Stony's birthday? I never mentioned anything about it to you."

"Oh that... Jimmy called me, told me I was invited if I wanted to party."

"Figures, he would do something like that." Miroku mumbled under his breath. "So do you need any more help with packing up?" he asked, pointing to the boxes tied to the roof of the Civic.

Sango shook her head. "Nope. Everything is already in the car."

"Looks like I missed the fun part, huh?"

Sango adjusted one of the ties on the roof of the car, making sure that her knot wouldn't come undone on the road. "I wouldn't have called loading up all this stuff fun but I am glad that you came to see me off."

"Alright Sango, Wrap it up with Spray Paint over there so we can get going!" Dan Yelled from the front porch. Miroku tried not to snort at how ridiculous Officer Sato looked in his red "Stanford Dad" sweatshirt and khaki pants.

Sango averted her eyes to her feet. "So, this is it. Honestly, I never expected it to happen so soon. College, I mean."

"Sango...I." Miroku stammered, grabbing her hand.

"Yes?" She questioned, looking up at him.

"I just wanted to say, good luck and Have fun." He smiled, his steely blue eyes locked on her. Miroku froze for a minute when Sango unexpectedly placed her hands on his shoulders. Standing on her tiptoes, she gave him a soft peck on the lips. "You will call me often, right?"

Miroku nodded. "Of course."

The two of them leaned in closer, Just when their lips were about to touch for a second time, Dan slammed on the horn.

Sango moved a piece of her hair behind her ear, blushing. "Well, I guess It's time for me to go."

"Come on Sis, what are you waiting for? Let's get a move on!" Kohaku hollered from the front seat of the Civic.

"Coming!" Sango yelled, rushing to the back seat of the sedan before her dad layed on the horn again.

As the Civic pulled out of the driveway, Miroku observed the way Sango waved goodbye to him from the back window of the car. He did the same until she was out of his sight.

With a heavy sigh, Miroku walked to his car. Even though he knew that Sango's departure was going to be hard on him, he didn't realize just how much he was going to miss her until she was completely out of his sight.

* * *

That night, Miroku went to work as usual. Although normally talkative with the patrons and staff at Mr. Griddles, he was silent all night as he did his job with the dishes. His coworkers were concerned about his mopey state, especially Big Al who offered to make him one of the diner's famous blueberry pies in hopes that it would cheer him up. Miroku politely declined his offer, insisting everything was alright behind a very fake smile. When he left work at 7am the next morning his mood didn't really fare any better.

Miroku sluggishly walked up the stairs. Sleep was one thing that he could definitely look forward to. When he got to his door he could hear the TV blaring along with someone on the inside messing with the radio. He opened the door to find Inuyasha messing with the tuner on the stereo and the dog by his side, snout deep in a box of Ritz crackers.

"You're up early." Miroku said, walking past Inuyasha to turn the TV down from full blast.

Inuyasha leaned against the bed. "Yeah, I went to bed as soon as you left. Can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"Why is it that the radio never plays any music at this time of day. It's all talk shows, what gives?" Inuyasha asked, pointing to the stereo.

Miroku crashed face down on his bed. "I really don't know and no offense, I don't really care either."

"Geez, touchy." Inuyasha remarked with a mouthful of squeezy cheese.

Feeling his stomach grumble something fierce, Miroku grabbed the can out of Inuyasha's hand. "Don't bogart the cheese, also pass me some of those crackers or did you and the dog eat them all?"

Inuyasha handed the box to Miroku. "Here, crybaby. Oh by the way I re-named your dog."

"Re-named my dog?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, can't have two Inuyashas in the house. So his new name is Kevin."

"Kevin, really? What made you think of that name?" Miroku asked, raising an eyebrow at Inuyasha's strange choice in dog names.

"Well, he looks like a Kevin."

Miroku looked at the fluffy dog relaxing on Inuyasha's lap. The furry beast's ears perked up when he heard the name Kevin. "I guess it's okay if he likes it, but you should really ask Rin if you can re-name him. 'Kevin' is her dog, not mine."

"So Elvis, how did things go with Sango? Did you miss her big sendoff?"

Miroku shook his head. "Nope, luckily I got there just when she was about to leave."

Inuyasha grabbed the can of cheese from off the bed. "Well, if you got to say goodbye to her then why are you still so mopey? She hasn't got you _that_ hung up has she?" He sneered, pointing the nozzle of the can near his mouth.

Miroku brought his index finger underneath his chin, trying to think of the best response to Inuyasha's crude remark. "Well, Sango does give me wood but then again so do most attractive women. I guess I'm just a little down because I consider her a good friend and I'm going to miss her company."

"You two ever fucked?" Inuyasha asked, smacking cheese and cracker bits around in his mouth.

"That's a rather audacious question to ask someone. Honestly, I don't think it's any of your concern whether or not Sango and I have had relations."

"What happened to Mr. 'I've screwed so many chicks, it's not even funny'? Were you bragging to inflate your ego? Because I could have cared less about that."

"Actually no, he spoke the truth. There's a reason Miroku was once known as the Casanova of Jefferson High," an unfamiliar voice butted into the conversation. Miroku and Inuyasha looked over their shoulders to see Jimmy resting his elbows on the windowsill. His feet firmly planted on the steps of the steel ladder underneath him. Miroku helped Jimmy enter the house through the window.

"Hiya fellas." Jimmy waved with a possum like grin on his face.

"You can understand us?" Inuyasha questioned, stunned that the foreigner knew a language other than English.

"Well of course. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't learn my best bro's language?"

"So, Jimbo, what was so important that you needed to climb through my window this early in the morning?" Miroku asked, confused why the guy didn't use the front door.

"Glad you asked. Check this shit out!" Jimmy reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a stack of papers held together with a paperclip. He handed the stack to Miroku.

Miroku flipped through the stack. "What's all this stuff?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just gigs I have lined up for us at some of the biggest rock venues in Cali. Los Angeles, Orange County, Sacramento, San Francisco, they all want the Lyzz! Dude, we're a hit!"

Miroku's face lit up at Jimmy's good news. "This is awesome! But how are we going to swing all these gigs? Hell, we were late at our last gig because Andy and Stony took their sweet ass time trying to set up our banner and program the lights onstage. If I recall that last bit didn't go so well."

"Ah, and that's where I have more good news. Remember how last week I told you that I would get the word out that we need a roadie?"

"Yeah...and?"

"Well, the response was overwhelming! I got at least 50 calls that week, all from people interested in the job."

Miroku nearly spat. "50? That's incredible!"

"So, I was thinking we should call back these guys and hold an audition process or something in the garage tomorrow, y'know to make sure that we get the right guy for the job. Are you down for that?"

"Of course! Did you tell the others?"

Jimmy nodded. "Yep, first thing when I woke up this morning. You're actually my last stop before I have to call back the applicants."

Jimmy walked over towards the window once again. "Well anyways, I better get to it. See you tomorrow, man."

Before Crawling out the window, Jimmy looked over his shoulder at Miroku's housemate. "Oh and Inuyasha, you're welcome in the domain of the Lyzz anytime. Any friend of Miroku's is a friend of mine."

With saying that last bit, Jimmy climbed down the ladder. Miroku and Inuyasha watched as the guy ran across the backyard. Jimmy then climbed one of the oak trees on the fence line. Using the branches as leverage, he jumped over the back fence with ease.

Inuyasha sat down in his spot next to 'Kevin'. "I don't care if he is your friend, I still think that guy is weird."

Miroku stretched his arms over his head. "Nah, Jimmy's alright. He's a little spontaneous at times but he's a pretty cool guy once you get to know him. Anyways, are you hungry? I don't think those cheese crackers did it for me this morning."

"Lead the way to the kitchen music man. And no peppers in my eggs this time, you know I can't stand spicy shit." Inuyasha grumbled, following Miroku down the stairs.

Miroku playfully nudged Inuyasha in the ribs. "Extra peppers. Got it."

"Asshole." Inuyasha huffed with a slight grin on his face.

Meanwhile in Miroku's bedroom, 'Kevin' seized the opportunity to hop on the bed. The dog rested his head on his large paws as he watched a low-budget insurance commercial on the TV starring some big-haired, toothy lady with a Midwestern accent.

* * *

 **[A/N]** Well that's pretty much it for chapter 16. I'm a sucker for friendship sub-plots, hence why both this chapter and the last chapter were lackluster in the romance department. I just hope I did alright since this chapter marked a very important turning point in the story thus far. I really have nothing more to say except well, this is awkward. Adakdljsadsaldsaldajl.

 **80's Slang/General Glossary**

 **Bogart –** To hog something/don't share.

 **Rob Lowe –** An 80's Teen Heartthrob. Starred in the 1985 film "St. Elmo's Fire."

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Glenn Frey – The Heat Is On**

 **Track 2: Echo And The Bunnymen – Lips Like Sugar**

 **Track 3: Don Henley – Boys Of Summer**


	17. Roommates and Roadies

Chapter 17: Roommates and Roadies.

Pristine white sneakers stepped onto a cobblestone walkway as Sango made her way from her dad's car to the line for the freshman orientation. She waved goodbye as her dad honked to her from the driver's seat of the Civic. Once her dad and Kohaku were out of her sight, Sango stretched her arms high in the air, taking in the sights of the huge campus around her. Although she arrived the day before to drop off her stuff in her dorm room, today was the day that she could actually get the feel of the University. Sango's grip tightened on the map in her hands as she made her way to the end of the line. The line stretched on for what seemed like forever with new students bunched up in color-coded clusters all around the courtyard. After feeling like she'd been in line days, Sango finally made it to the front of the line where the sign-in sheets were. Two men dressed in red sweatshirts sat behind a fold-out table with a stack of clipboards in front of them.

"Alright, state your last name and then your first." One of the men asked her, flipping through the clipboard in front of him.

"Sato, Sango." Sango replied, eyes downcast at the grass at her feet.

The man's eyes skimmed over a long list on the clipboard until he got to Sango's name on the page. With a green highlighter, he marked over her name. He handed Sango a blank stick-on name tag with a bluish-purple dot on it, along with a black permanent marker. "Okay, Miss Sato. You will be in the Indigo group. Should be the 10th banner on your left."

Sango scribbled her name on the name tag. "Thanks."

"Sango! Over Here!" A female voice called out to her. Sango looked around the groups until she spotted Kagome making wide arm gestures to get her attention.

"Kagome!" Sango shrieked in glee as she ran up to the girl.

"See, didn't I tell you I would find you on campus?" Kagome remarked, smiling ear to ear that she managed to find her new-found friend from back home so fast.

"Honestly, I knew I would run into you somewhere, so what group did you get placed in for the orientation?" Sango asked, hoping that she and Kagome were placed in the same group.

Kagome pointed to the nametag on the blouse. "Cerulean. How about you, what's your group color?"

"Indigo."

"Oh, bummer. I wanted us to be in the same group for orientation." Kagome sulked.

"Yeah, me too."

Just then, the cerulean group's leader made an announcement that they were about to start the tour.

"Sango! looks like my group is leaving. I'll talk to you later!" Kagome yelled as she ran towards her group before they left her behind.

After saying goodbye to Kagome, Sango wandered around the area until she finally found the Indigo group and it's red-shirted tour leader near one of the fountains. There were probably about twenty people placed in her group and aside from a group of girls chatting about something among themselves, the rest of the group looked either confused or absolutely disinterested. The group leader was definitely an upperclassman, with dark skin and a tall flat-top haircut. Sango could assume that the guy was most likely an athlete of sorts based on his build alone. She cupped her brow with her hand as sunlight beamed off of the tour leader's needlessly shiny, gold cross pendant. The tour leader walked over to Sango to welcome her in the group. He glanced at Sango's name tag to double check his itinerary to make sure she was in the right place.

"Alright let's see if I can pronounce this right, is it San-go or Sang-o?"

"The first one." Sango assured him.

"Great I got it right then!" The man smiled, extending his right hand out to Sango. Sango shook his hand.

"Welcome to Stanford, Miss Sango. I'm Darius, I'll be your tour leader for today. If you have any questions on the tour feel free to shout them out."

Sango nodded. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

Once Sango made her way back into the group, Darius turned on the megaphone in his hand.

"Alright, Indigo group...Let's get this orientation started! Make sure you have your map and a highlighter on hand. Because we're off!" Darius spoke into the microphone as he led the group out of the courtyard.

Sango followed the tour group around the campus, making sure to highlight every stop on the tour on her map. When the tour reached the last stop she found herself lost in the business wing due to not really paying attention to where she was walking. Sango looked down at her map, trying to pinpoint where exactly she lost the tour group at. Unexpectedly, she bumped into a man carrying a large stack of paperwork as she studied the map in her hand. Sango rushed over to help the man pick up the papers.

"I'm so sorry, here let me help you."

"No, no, it's fine. I got it." The man responded, frantically scooping up the papers before they blew off in the breeze in the walkway. Sango felt her face flush when she finally got a good look at the stranger in front of her. The man was absolutely gorgeous with short-but-voluminous black hair with bangs parted on one side, and light brown eyes.

"I am so sorry for making you drop your paperwork, It was all my fault, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Sango profusely apologized.

The man chuckled. "There's really no need to apologize, Miss Sango."

"Wait, how did you know my name?"

"Well, you are wearing a name tag." The man stated, pointing to the name tag stuck on Sango's t-shirt.

"Oh, I forgot about that."

"It's not a problem. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kuranosuke Takeda."

"Sango, Sango Sato, although you already knew my first name from the name tag." Sango babbled, instinctively holding her hand out to Kuranosuke. Her eyes widened when she received a kiss on the back of her hand instead of a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you Sato-san."

"Likewise, but you really don't have to use honorifics when addressing me."

Kuranosuke shook his head. "It wouldn't be proper of me if I address you in such a casual manner. But you can call me whatever you wish. Anyways you should probably get back to your orientation."

Sango looked around the walkway, all of the signs were long gone and there weren't any groups wandering about.

"I guess I should get back to my dorm to unpack everything, since my group and every other group from orientation is elsewhere." Sango sighed, heading towards the opposite end of the walkway. "Once again, I'm sorry I bumped into you."

"Wait, Sato-san. Would you mind if I escort you there? I feel bad that I'm the cause of you missing out on the last part of orientation."

Sango shrugged her shoulders. "Um, sure I guess."

"Excellent! If it helps, you can think of this as a personal tour. Now where is your dormitory located at?"

Sango pointed to the pink-highlighted spot on the map. "I'm in the Burbank House, Room 23."

"Alright Sato-san follow me, your dormitory shouldn't be too far from here."

Minutes into the walk with Kuranosuke, Sango could feel that the silence was really getting to him as his face gave off the impression that he was trying to say something but couldn't find the right words. Just when Sango was about to say something to break the ice, Kuranosuke started to speak.

"So, Sato-san? What's your major by the way?"

"Oh that, It's criminal justice but it's more of a prerequisite for law school. So what about you, what are you here for?" Sango replied, her eyes focused on the path in front of her, rather than the man beside of her.

Kuranosuke feathered his hair back. "I'm a business major, but not by choice though. As the eldest in my family it's my duty to take over My father's company in Tokyo when he eventually retires."

"I see, I must admit your English is really good. If I didn't know any better I would have assumed you were American like me."

Kuranosuke raised an eyebrow at Sango's observation. "Oh really? What tipped you off?"

"Hmm let me see..." Sango pondered, bringing her index finger to her chin. "Well, you insist on using honorifics for one thing. If you were American you wouldn't have included them at all. You also have a slight accent on some words but it's not that noticeable."

Kuranosuke smiled. "I appreciate the honesty, Sato-san, er I mean Sango-chan."

Sango stopped at the door to her dorm room. "Well this is it, It was really nice meeting you Kuranosuke-san."

Sango dug in the front pocket of her backpack for the key to her room. "Dammit, where is that key?" she mumbled under her breath.

"Oh Sango-chan, before you go in, there's one more thing I wanted to ask you."

"Ah! There it is!" Sango exclaimed, pulling the key out of her backpack. "Now what was it you wanted to ask me again?"

Kuranosuke clasped her hands with his. "Forgive me if I'm being too forward but I would be honored if you could join me for dinner, say Saturday night. I find myself wanting to know more about you."

Sango's face turned crimson as Kuranosuke's eyes bore into hers. She quickly removed her hands from his. "I-I appreciate the offer but I can't. I'm seeing someone."

"I understand. But if things don't work out between you and your boyfriend, feel free to give me a call." Kuranosuke said as he reached into his wallet for a business card. He handed the card to Sango.

"Take care, Sango-chan. I hope our paths will cross again soon."

Sango watched as Kuranosuke exited out of the building. Her face, still a little flushed from Kuranosuke's very forward attempt to ask her out. _And I thought Miroku was forward,_ Sango mused, turning the key some more until she finally managed to unlock the door. Inside of the dorm room she found Kagome sitting on a rather girly looking bed adjacent from her incomplete bed frame and mattress.

"Kagome, what are you doing here, not that I object to it or anything. I thought I was supposed to be roommates with some girl named Janis. At least that's what it said on my packet."

Kagome sat her true crime novel aside to answer Sango's question. "I had my mom call in a favor of the dean. I do have connections you know. Well, my mom has connections. Apparently the dean's toddler daughter is a huge Mittens the Kitten fan."

"I can see that." Sango grunted as she positioned herself under the steel bed-frame to finish the assembly. "Hey Kagome, do you mind reaching into the toolbox by the bathroom? I have my socket wrench set in there and I need it to tighten this bolt."

Kagome nodded. "Sure thing."

"Is this it?" Kagome asked, holding up a plastic case with the words DE-WALT embossed on the front in yellow block letters.

"Yeah, that's it. Thanks." Sango responded, taking the tool set off Kagome's hands. She opened the case and immediately found the socket wrench she was looking for. Kagome observed the way Sango knew exactly what tools to use and it fascinated her.

"Something wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked, finding it odd that Kagome was watching her with curiosity as she did her mundane task.

"Nope, watching you work is fascinating. I could never assemble something like that on my own. Usually, I would have Larson or Grampa help me."

Sango tightened the last bolt on the bed frame. Standing up, she reached over the newly-assembled bed frame and plopped the box spring and mattress in the slots. As she lay down on the bed, Sango crossed her fingers that the frame wouldn't collapse underneath her. Once she realized the bed was completely safe, she began to unpack the rest of her stuff. Sango sat the last of her boxes aside when she heard a knock at the door.

"I'll get it!" Kagome said, digging in her purse for her wallet. She stepped out of the dorm room for a minute. When Kagome came back she held a large pizza box in her hands. "I didn't know if you would be hungry after orientation so I went ahead and ordered us some dinner. I hope that's alright."

Sango could feel her mouth water at the sight of the cheese pizza in front of her. "It's more than alright!"

"Cheers!" Kagome exclaimed as she and Sango bumped pizza crusts in the air. When the pizza was all but eaten Sango thought about how lucky she was that her first day went way better than she ever could have imagined. Kagome was her roommate and she got into all the classes she wanted to take. If accomplishment was what being an adult felt like, Sango never wanted to feel like a teenager ever again.

* * *

The day of the audition for Mystic Lyzzard's new roadie finally arrived and it was a gloomy one as rain and hailstones pounded the shingles on the roof of Jimmy's house. Thunder and Lightning bellowed outside and the local radio blared loud, ear-splitting, emergency alerts every five minutes. In the safety of Jimmy's garage Miroku, Jimmy, Andrew and Stony all sat on the couch, listening to candidate after candidate. So far, the entire thing was a bust. Each and every person who came to audition turned out to be absolutely terrible.

First there was some old man who looked old enough to be everyone's grandpa, sure he was good at guitar but the band really didn't need some old fart following them on the road, especially when the dude looked like he would kick the bucket any minute. Next came a set of really pale, really ginger, twins who didn't come in for the audition at all, they thought the flyers that Jimmy and Stony placed all over the city were an open invitation for them to preach the gospel. Stony wasted no time to tell the would-be missionaries to get lost.

Then there was a cute girl in a leather crop-top and skin-tight leggings. Miroku and Jimmy were thrilled with her audition while Stony and Andrew rolled their eyes at the bubbly blonde. All was going well until she told the band that she was only fourteen. Hours passed as person after person came in but nobody really fit what the band was looking for, they were either too young, incompetent, or there for reasons other than the audition. After the 30th audition the band decided to call it quits.

"Fuck, that blew dogs for quarters, thirty fucking people and not a single one of them were any good." Jimmy pouted as he plopped face down on the couch.

"So now what are we going to do?" Miroku asked.

"The same thing we've been doing. I was so sure that we would get a roadie today so I went ahead and booked all those gigs." Jimmy whined, lifting his head from the couch cushion.

"Nice going, Jimmy. What's going to happen when we're the laughing stock of the SoCal metal scene. We're always late on stage because you and Miroku never want to help Andy and me set up. But you two assholes don't care about that, all you guys want to do is chase fucking tail." Stony complained from behind the drum kit, tapping his sticks on the snare.

Miroku watched as Stony's complaints got louder and angrier. He had to find a way to get Stony calm, and fast.

"Whoa, Stoneman. Calm your tits. So we over-calculated, big deal. There's no need to attack Jimmy and me."

Andrew cracked open a beer from the cooler. "You know Stony's right, you two could do more to help the band set up. It is pretty fucked up that you guys always pin the manual labor on us."

Jimmy scoffed at the way Stony and Andy were ganging up on him. "Um, excuse me Andy, If I recall, you and Stony were the ones who said they would take care of the setup and lighting while Miroku and I covered songwriting and public relations. Who the fuck do you even think got us all these gigs because it sure as Hell wasn't you two."

Stony grabbed Jimmy by his t-shirt collar. "You better watch that tone Jimmy. We're your band-mates you can't just fucking boss us around."

"Or what, Antonio. You gonna kick my ass?"

Stony let go of Jimmy's shirt collar. "Fucking Prick."

Miroku sighed, picking up his guitar to fix one of the strings that broke the week before. "I'm sensing a lot of negativity in this room. We don't have to be at each others throats like this. How about we all take a deep breath and try to settle this like rational human beings."

"Oh cut it with the Zen bullshit, Miroku. You're just as bad as him if not worse." Stony hissed, pointing to Jimmy standing in the corner.

"I'm just saying, Stony, man, you need to calm down."

"Oh fuck you Miroku, You're so far up Jimmy's ass it's a wonder you can even see daylight."

Miroku grabbed Stony by the shoulders. "Dude, calm down. You're being an asshole over nothing."

Feeling like he had enough of Miroku's pacifist nonsense, Stony snapped and shoved Miroku against the wall.

Miroku shoved back. "What the fuck is your problem?"

"My problem is this isn't a band, this is a fucking circle-jerk where all you two do is lick each-others asses!" Stony yelled, throwing a punch at Miroku. Miroku ducked out of the way from the irate drummer's fist of fury. Just as Stony was about to throw a second punch at Miroku, Jimmy stepped in and blocked it. Miroku watched as Jimmy's cold blue eyes blared with intensity. Jimmy was not only angry at Stony, he was downright **pissed**.

"Look, if you got something to say to me, say it to my face but don't ever fucking attack my friends!"

In the blink of an eye, Stony punched Jimmy square in the mouth, knocking the man off balance. Jimmy scrambled to get back on his feet. Fresh blood trickled down his chin from the now busted bottom lip. Jimmy chuckled as he wiped off some of the blood on the back of his hand. "Oh, it's _on_! You wanna dance Sanchez, _let's dance_."

Thunder rolled as the normally well-lit garage suddenly went dark. When the lights came back on Jimmy and Stony stopped their fist fight, taking opposite sides on the couch. Andrew went to the kitchen to get ice for Jimmy's busted lip and the shiner on Stony's right eye. After receiving ice-packs, the two of them remained silent while exchanging death glares at one another. As the tension rose once again, Miroku continued to mess around with his guitar. Once he finished his repair on the broken string, Miroku plugged the instrument into one of the amps in the corner. To his surprise, the amp did not turn on when he flipped the switch. Miroku inspected the area where the amp was plugged up at. He soon found the culprit. Whoever used that particular amp last forgot to plug it into the power surge strip instead of the wall. When the lights went out in the thunderstorm, the amp's internal wiring fried, rendering the entire thing useless.

Andy noticed Miroku crouched behind the amp, messing around with the plug. "Something wrong back there Miroku?"

"Yeah, the amp's shot."

"Whaddya mean it's shot?"

"It's broken. Went belly-up during the blackout because someone forgot to plug the cord into the power strip instead of the wall."

"Fuck, I just paid off that amp too." Jimmy griped, holding a cloth-covered ziploc bag filled with ice to his busted lip.

Once again, the entire band was at each-others throats as they accused each other of breaking the amp. The argument was thankfully cut short by someone knocking at the garage door. Miroku opened the garage door to find a pissed-off looking Inuyasha standing outside in a clear rain poncho. Miroku let the drippy teenager inside the garage.

"Inuyasha, what's up?" Miroku asked, a little surprised that the teen walked almost an entire block in the rain. Surely, whatever he wanted was important.

"Can't get the cable to work, so I came to get you to fix it." Inuyasha grumbled, shaking out the rain poncho on the ground.

Miroku face-palmed at Inuyasha's stupid reason for showing up at the garage unannounced. "You walked over here in one of the worst thunderstorms of the year for _that?_ "

"Well yeah, I'm missing Miami Vice."

Andrew stared at the long-haired teen talking to Miroku in Japanese. "Who's that guy?" whispered Andrew to Stony on the couch.

"Inuyasha, I think he's Miroku's cousin or something."

Jimmy shook his head. "He's not Miroku's cousin, he's a family friend of theirs from Japan who lives with them."

Inuyasha stopped talking for a minute to take a good look around the garage. His eyes shifted to the three men on the couch, noticing the fresh injuries on Stony and Jimmy's faces. "What happened to those two?" He asked Miroku, pointing to the two sore losers on the couch.

"Oh, them. Something stupid, I assure you." Miroku grunted as he picked up the broken amp.

"What's with the amp?"

"It's garbage. Now if you don't mind I'm going to take this hunk of junk to the curb."

Inuyasha crouched down to study the amp in his friend's arms. "Mind if I take a look?"

Miroku sat the amp down on the ground. "Go ahead, but I'm telling you, the thing is shot."

Inuyasha rolled up his sleeves. "Yeah, yeah. Make yourself useful and find me a philips head screwdriver, a tube of J.B. weld, aluminum foil, a wire clothes-hanger, and a roll of duct tape. I'm going to Jerry-rig this piece of shit."

"Hey Jimmy, you got all that stuff?" Miroku asked Jimmy on the couch.

"Lemme see, I have to go in the house to get the clothes-hanger and aluminum foil but everything else should be in the red toolbox by the door."

The members of Mystic Lyzzard watched in awe as Inuyasha worked. First he opened up the back of the amp to check for any shorts in the wiring. Once Inuyasha found what the problem was with the wires he made his quick fix. It looked like absloute crap with the random wires and bits of aluminum foil sticking out every which way but Inuyasha seemed to know what he was doing so the guys shrugged it off and hoped for the best.

Inuyasha screwed the back cover on the amp. "Alright, plug it in and see if it works. If it works, good. If not, whatever, I tried."

Miroku gulped as he plugged in the amp and his guitar. "Well, here goes nothing." he closed his eyes, letting out a strum on the chords. He let out a sigh of relief when he could hear the guitar through the amp.

"I don't know how you did it but, it works! In fact, I think it's louder than before. Where on earth did you learn to MacGyver electronics like that?" Miroku asked, shocked that Inuyasha's shoddy-looking repair actually worked.

"Back in Tokyo, I had a part time Job at a motorcycle repair shop and we got a lot of electric scooters in. I just kind of picked it up." Inuyasha replied, throwing the items back into the toolbox.

As Inuyasha messed around with random things in the garage, the members of Mystic Lyzzard huddled together for a brainstorm session.

"Maybe we should get Inuyasha to be our roadie, if he can fix an amp that fast, who knows what else he's capable of." Miroku whispered to the rest of the band.

"You really think he has the chops? I mean, he's just a kid." Stony whispered back.

"So what if he's a kid. Besides the language barrier between you and Andy, he's pretty much perfect for us. Plus, he lives in my house so we won't have to worry about him not making it on time to our gigs."

"I'm with Miroku, we should at least give Inuyasha the option. How about you Andy, you okay with this?" Jimmy asked Andrew, who really looked indifferent to the entire situation.

"As long as it means that I won't have to set everything up by myself ever again, I'm down for it." Andrew replied.

"So who's gonna ask him, Miroku? It's gotta be either you or Jimmy since Andy and me don't speak Japanese."

"Alright, Stony. I'll go ahead and ask him, although I can't guarantee he'll agree to it." Miroku replied as he walked over to Inuyasha who was occupied with picking up random things in the toolbox.

"Hey inuyasha, the guys and I were wondering if you'd be interested in a side-job."

Inuyasha picked up a wrench and chucked it in the toolbox. "What's the job?"

"Remember how we said we needed a roadie. Well, me and the guys were impressed at how fast you were able to fix the amp so we figured you could..you know roadie for us. It won't pay much since most of our gig money goes towards lodgings and gas. But you'll get to travel and..."

"I'm in."

"You mean you'll take the job?"

"You deaf or something Elvis? I said I would do it, not like I have much else to do here anyway."

Stony tapped Miroku on the shoulder. "So, what did he say?"

"He's in!"

All four of the members of Mystic Lyzzard high-fived in the air after hearing Miroku's good news. And since they finally had a roadie, Jimmy and Stony made up with one another in an apology battle while Miroku and Andrew laughed about how ridiculous their earlier fight was. Miroku tossed Inuyasha a beer from out of the cooler. Inuyasha caught it in his lap. "what's this for?"

Miroku smiled at the teen. "It's a welcome gift, you're one of us now."

"But I'm underage, I can't drink this."

"Oh come on, you're in the U.S.A. now. Learn to live a little."

Inuyasha cracked open the beer. "Down the hatch I guess. Now after I'm done drinking this will you come home and fix the stupid cable?"

Miroku Nodded. "You got a deal."

* * *

When Miroku returned home later that evening, he did get around to fixing the cable for Inuyasha, although he was a little surprised that the electronics-wizard didn't think to tighten the loose jack behind the TV himself since it was such an easy fix. Miroku sat up on his bed as he fingered some chords on his guitar. Somehow or another the entire day felt so surreal to him. Yeah, there was the fight between Jimmy and Stony but he never expected Inuyasha of all people to save his ass by actually agreeing to be Mystic Lyzzard's roadie. Miroku sat the guitar against the edge of the bed. Feeling his eyes get heavy, he dozed off. Unfortunately, his bout of sleep didn't last very long when the phone started to ring. Miroku picked up the phone.

"Hello." he answered in a groggy voice.

"Miroku, is that you? It's Sango, but if this is a bad time I can call again tomorrow."

Miroku fumbled with the phone in his hand. "No, no. it's not a bad time at all. I just dozed off right before you called. So, um, how was your first day?"

"It went great! I got into all the classes I wanted to take and my new roommate is really cool. How are things going over there? Anything interesting?"

"Actually yeah, we got a new roadie and Jimmy scheduled the band for an All-Cali tour with another local band. If all goes well, we may even get a deal for our first studio album. Don't be surprised if you see me on MTV in the near future, babe." Miroku bragged, adjusting the phone under his chin.

"I'll be sure to watch out for it in the student lounge, since it's the only place on campus that has cable. Glad to hear you're doing well."

"Same to you. So what's Stanford like, is it bigger than you expected?"

"Much bigger. Miroku, this place is phenomenal! The scenery is gorgeous and there's so much to do. I wish you could see it for yourself because it's kind of hard to explain."

Miroku let out a sigh. "I wish I could be there with you. It all sounds amazing."

"You know, you could always come visit me if you feel like it."

"I can't at the moment because my schedule is full, but I will try to pop in every now and then, if my job will allow it. When I do visit be prepared, you know what they say about guitar players..."

"Oh, and what's that?" Sango asked, positive he was going to say something perverted.

"We finger better."

"Pervert."

"Beautiful."

"Anyways, Miroku. It's getting pretty late. I'll call you again real soon okay."

"I look forward to it. Goodnight, Sango."

Miroku placed the phone back on the base; smiling, as he thought of his long-distance girlfriend. His smile turned into a frown when he realized he made a grave mistake. "Shit, I forgot to ask Sango what she was wearing."

* * *

[A/N] Nothing to see here, other than the fact that I'm sorry this update took so long. October is a busy, busy, month for me. On another note, I'd like to say thanks to everyone who left reviews! You guys are awesome!

(Update: 11/7/15) Fixed some of the grammatical errors, I don't know what I was smoking when I published this chapter. C.N., dude you gotta help me out a little better, lol .

 **80's Slang/General Glossary.**

 **Miami Vice –** A 1984 prime-time crime drama.

 **Mac Gyver** – An action series that starred Richard Dean Anderson as a special agent who could get out of sticky situations by making useful things out of random objects. Synonym of "Jerry-Rig"

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **Track 1: Kim Wilde – Kids in America**

 **Track 2: Venom – Don't Burn The Witch**

 **Track 3: The Cars – You're All I've Got Tonight**


	18. Night In The Limelight

Chapter 18 : Night in the limelight

December 23, 1985

"Thanks Chieko-san, I'll call back later then." Sango sighed, setting the telephone back on the base. It had been nearly a week since she had left school for the winter break and every time she tried to call Miroku, he was never around. Three months had passed since the last time Sango saw him in person since he never managed to visit her on campus like he said he would. The first time Miroku tried to schedule in a visit, the camaro broke down somewhere in Fresno. On his second attempt he promised to meet up with her in San Francisco. Unfortunately, that didn't happen either. Mystic Lyzzard's gig was abruptly canceled after a fire broke out at the venue in San Francisco's Mission district. To Sango, it seemed like every time he would try to spend time with her in person, some kind of freak accident would happen. Though she understood that Miroku was really busy with Mystic Lyzzard's breakout tour; Sango still couldn't help but feel a little miffed that he couldn't have at least called her before he left for another out of town gig. Especially, when he promised that he would spend time with her during the entire duration of her winter break.

Feeling a little chilly from leaning against the bay window, Sango yanked the quilt off her bed, wrapping it around her shoulders for warmth. As she tried to get cozy, her mind raced with thoughts about Miroku once more. Sango had hoped that once she was back home they could go on an ice skating date or to the zoo to see the newly hatched emperor penguin chicks. Bored, she wrapped the spiral wire of the phone cord around her fingers. Talking to her boyfriend over the phone could only do so much. Some things were just better off in the actual presence of one another. Sango remembered the first time Miroku tried to initiate phone sex, she had never laughed so hard in her life. Eventually, she did play his little game and wound up enjoying it quite a bit. Especially when Miroku's voice would hit that low, sexy, tone mid-conversation. Sango sat the phone on the carpet, wishing that he would call her back right then and there. Resting her elbow on her knee, she looked out the window, casually observing Kohaku and his friends in the middle of a game of street hockey.

"You really should smile more, Sango. That gloomy expression doesn't suit you at all."

Sango paused, turning her attention away from the window. Her lips curled up into a small grin when she saw Miroku standing cross-armed in her doorway. Hastily, she threw the blanket aside to run over to him. Her grin turned into a scowl as she gave Miroku a hard thump on the forehead.

"Ouch, what was that for?" Miroku yelped, rubbing the spot where Sango had thumped him.

"For not calling me before you left for another Mystic Lyzzard thing. You had me worried sick, Miroku."

Miroku rubbed the back of his neck. "I know, my mom told me you called...several times."

"Well, as long as you got the message." Sango huffed.

Miroku pulled her into a tight embrace. "You have no idea how much I've missed you, Sango."

"I missed you too." Sango's cheeks flushed pink as she returned his embrace. She smiled as the scent of smoke and sandalwood embedded in Miroku's leather jacket lingered against her nose. "A lot actually." Sango's body tensed when she felt his hands slide further down her back. She let out a muffled groan when Miroku's hands squeezed the soft flesh of her rear. "Well, you haven't changed much, still going after my butt I see."

Miroku smirked. "You expect me to come home and _not_ hug my girl the proper way? Honestly Sango, I thought you knew me better than that."

"Aren't you the perfect gentleman." Sango grumbled in a sarcastic tone as she removed both of his hands off her rear.

"So, how'd the Mystic Lyzzard tour go. You are done right?"

"Oh, the tour. It went great aside from that mishap we had in San Francisco. The last show we did, had a grand total of 73 people." Miroku responded, taking a seat on Sango's bed. As Miroku continued to talk about Mystic Lyzzard's recent tour in detail, Sango couldn't help but notice that Miroku looked kind of forlorn, which was very unusual since he normally had a lot of enthusiasm when talking about his band stuff.

"But no, we aren't done yet. Not even close. Even though we did all those small gigs, they weren't big enough to warrant the attention of any agencies. I'm afraid this might be the end of Mystic Lyzzard's attempt at breaking out of the underground scene."

Sango sat beside him on the bed. "So, now what are you going to do?"

"Well, there is one more try before we call it quits. For now at least."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"There's a nationwide Battle Of The Bands competition being held very soon, here in San Diego. Jimmy already signed us up months ago in case our tour didn't work out as planned."

"How soon is _very soon_ , Miroku?"

"Tomorrow." Miroku sighed under his breath.

Sango's eyes widened in shock at his statement. "B-but tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Miroku, you promised you would come to my Christmas party. Is this because you're afraid you'll be left out since you're a Buddhist?"

"That's not it at all! We celebrate the holidays at my house. Well, just the tree and the gift giving part. I'm sorry Sango but as much as I'd love to show up to your party and meet your amazing family and roommate. I have to perform at Battle of the bands, it's too late to back out." With saying that last bit Miroku couldn't help but notice the disappointment on Sango's face. It was obvious that she really wanted him to be around for the celebration. He scratched his head, wondering what she could have planned for the two of them.

Sango clasped her hands in her lap. "I see. I guess I just got my hopes up that we could spend Christmas Eve together. I only have two weeks left until I have to return to school for another four and a half months. I kind of wanted what little time we have to be...special."

Miroku wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Sango, I promise that after this last thing is done. I will make up the lost time as much as I can before you have to go back. Dates, dinner, you name it."

"You don't have to go that far. To be honest, all I really want to do Is hang out."

"Tell you what, Since Mystic Lyzzard is scheduled to go on stage after 5pm or so, as soon as we're done I'll leave and head straight to your party."

Sango's lips curled into a demure smile. "Okay, but you better not go back on your word. I'm serious, Miroku."

Gently, Miroku tilted her chin up with his thumb. "You have my word."

Sango's fingers gripped the studded lapel of Miroku's leather jacket as he lowered her on the bed. Her cheeks were crimson as his body hovered over hers, knees outward. Sango closed her eyes, parting her lips slightly as Miroku moved in closer. It had been three months since their last kiss and she was more than eager to swap spit. She looped her arms around his neck as he went for the kiss. Just as Miroku was about to make contact, he felt someone other than Sango tug on his jacket collar. Miroku then felt himself forcibly yanked from his girlfriend below him.

"Not in my house, _Spray Paint_." Dan hissed, letting go of Miroku's collar.

Sango sat up. Annoyed, she rolled her eyes. "Dad, we weren't doing anything!"

Miroku straightened his jacket. "Relax, Mr. Sato. If I wanted to nail your daughter I'd do it elsewhere."

Dan grimaced at Miroku's remark. "Out, Miroku. I need to talk to my daughter in private."

Miroku placed a kiss on Sango's cheek. "Fine, fine. I'll leave. Call me later babe?"

"Sure." Sango replied.

When Miroku was finally out of the room, Dan shut the door. "Honestly Sango, I would have thought with you being in college I would be Miroku-free. I'd have hoped that you would have dumped that punk a long time ago for a nice, clean-cut ivy league boy."

Sango laughed. "Daddy, you make him seem like some kind of bum. Miroku is a really nice guy once you get to know him. Just give him a chance okay? Besides, just look at what an impact he's had on Kohaku." Sango noted as she coaxed her dad closer to the window.

Outside the window; Miroku, Kohaku, and the neighborhood kids were playing more street hockey. Dan smiled at seeing his son actually laughing and having fun with other kids for once. Kohaku was usually very quiet and reserved but outside, he seemed like a normal thirteen year old kid.

"Remember this time last year when Kohaku would barely even set foot outside of the house and now look at him, having fun with normal kids his own age instead of that creepy Bradley guy at the video store."

Dan let out a sigh. His daughter did have a good point, Kohaku did seem a lot more active since Miroku became somewhat of a big-brother figure to the kid. "Alright Sango, I see your point."

"By the way, I'm going to need you to give up part of your room."

Sango crossed her arms. "I assume this has to do with Uncle Manta bringing Grandma Sato over for Christmas?"

"Yes, and her dementia is getting worse so I'm going to need you and Kohaku to be on grandma duty since her short term memory loss can kick in at any given moment. Do you two think you can handle the job?"

Sango nodded. "Of course Dad. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get the fold out bed from the basement."

* * *

Christmas Eve, 1985

" _Good morning San Diego, this is A.J. with your daily dose of WROK in the morning. And what an awesome start to Christmas Eve it is. We can practically hear jingle bells all throughout the station. Speaking of loud noises, The day of reckoning for one lucky band is here! WROK's Battle of the Bands and boy, what a lineup! Over 50 bands from all over the country under one roof. Personally, I have a good feeling our hometown boys Mystic Lyzzard have a good shot at winning this thing. Lemme tell you these guys are incredibly talented and I'm still pumping my fist from headbanging so hard. THESE GUYS ROCK!"_

" _This has been A.J. with WROK in the morning, and if this isn't your wake up call then WAAAAKKKEEE UPPPPPPPP!"_

Miroku slammed on the snooze button of his clock radio. Rolling over on his side, he glanced at the time. It was way too early for him to be up. Just as soon as he was about to flip over on his stomach to fall asleep once again, Miroku was interrupted by a very annoying tapping sound coming from his window. Miroku crawled to the edge of his bed to see who was annoying him at 7am. He had a pretty good idea who the culprit was.

"Yeah, yeah, Jimmy. Hold your horses I'm unlocking the window." Miroku mumbled under his breath as he lifted the dummy latch to the window to pull Jimmy in from the ladder.

"You know we do have front door. So, what's up?"

Jimmy dusted the dirt from the outside of Miroku's window off his jeans. "Did you hear the radio this morning? Dude, A.J. From WROK in the morning gave us a shout out!"

"Yeah I heard, in fact it kind of woke me up this morning. How'd you manage to swing an A.J. Endorsement?"

"Believe it or not, I didn't do a damn thing. It was actually A.J. Who got in contact with me. He was at our show in Santa Cruz and he said that he was hooked on the Lyzz's sound from the get-go." Jimmy beamed as he reached under Miroku's bed for the metal Star Wars lunchbox. "Mind if I roll up one?"

Miroku nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

"So anyways, I was thinking that we could meet up in the garage in an hour or so, so we could get a little more practice in before the contest. I know they have backstage areas for that kind of thing but I really don't want to cram with a bunch of other bands."

"Fine by me, so what do we do about Inuyasha? Since the stadium is taking care of all the technical aspects and setup he's pretty much out of a job for the night." Miroku asked, lighting an incense stick. He let out a small wince of pain when the fire accidentally fell from the stick and onto his hand.

"Hmm, I never really thought that far ahead. Maybe you should ask him what he wants to do? Is he even up yet?"

"I'll go check. Oh and Jimmy, make sure you put out that jay in case my parents come by. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta go get some ice for this burn."

Jimmy took a hit of the joint. "Actually, I think I'm going to take this to go. Catch you at the garage. Later, bro."

After Jimmy was out the window again, Miroku crept downstairs to the fridge in the kitchen. After grabbing an icepack for his burnt palm, he reached into the fridge, snagging a can of Jolt from the behind the Tupperware. With the can of soda firmly clutched in his right hand, Miroku went back up the stairs to Inuyasha's room. Seeing that the door was cracked, he ventured inside Inuyasha's bedroom. The teen's bed was empty and unmade, which was odd because Inuyasha usually slept til' noon at the earliest. Slowly, Miroku walked to the glass door at the opposite side of the bed. Out the window, he spied Inuyasha lazing about in one of the lawn chairs on the deck, although he still looked half asleep as a mostly burnt out cigarette dangled from his lips.

"You're up early." Miroku chirped as he sat next to Inuyasha in one of the empty lawn chairs.

"I had a lot of sleep."

Miroku handed the can of soda to Inuyasha. "Here, I know you don't like coffee so I got you some soda."

"Thanks, I need this." Inuyasha yawned as he put out the cigarette, flicking the butt off the roof. He popped open the soda can, taking a big sip.

"So, what was all that crap about?"

Miroku shot the teen a puzzled look. "What crap?"

"Jimmy. I saw him dart across the front lawn this morning. Doesn't he know that we have a front door?"

"Oh, that. Actually, that's the whole reason I came up here. Inuyasha, how would you feel about taking the day off?"

"Alright I guess. But doesn't your band have that competition today?"

Miroku nodded. "Yeah but we don't really need your assistance today, per se. But if you still want to tag along, then by all means you're more than welcome to."

Inuyasha threw the empty soda can in the room. "Well since you don't need me, I take it the fancy ass stadium is going to take care of things then?"

Miroku's eyes widened at Inuyasha's statement. "How very perceptive of you."

"Feh, I heard your little exchange earlier.."

Miroku laughed. "Yeah, I guess we didn't use our inside voices."

"So, what do you plan on doing all day, Inuyasha? Are you going to go with my parents and Rin to the Insurance Firm's Christmas gala tonight?"

Inuyasha leaned back in the lawn chair. "Nah. Your dad's coworkers suck."

"Well, if you're bored, Sango is going to be having a party going on as well. She could probably use the help getting everything ready."

"I'll think about it. But shouldn't you be the one helping her out. I mean I'm not the one dating her and shit."

Miroku rose from his chair. "Thanks Inuyasha. If you do go to Sango's place, tell her I'll be on my way as soon as Mystic Lyzzard gets off stage."

"You do know if you're late she's gonna kick your ass right?"

Miroku froze as a cold chill crept up his spine at the thought of another kick to the face from an angry Sango. "I am well aware of that fact. Later, Inuyasha."

* * *

When the van drove into the arena's parking lot. Miroku and the rest of the guys were absolutely in awe at how packed the place was. It seemed the line of other vans and tour buses stretched on for miles. Outside, rockers of all kinds walked the grounds in a never ending sea of leather and denim. The arena itself loomed over the crowd like a futuristic palace decked out to the nines with banners, flyers, and news vans everywhere. Security guards roamed the the grounds in their golf carts escorting ticket holders into the proper lines. He scoped out the lines some more. His eyes stopped on a group of fairly attractive women standing around in line waiting to enter the arena. Miroku gawked at the women some more. Apparently, there were a lot more babes at the venue than he would have thought. Over at the beer tent, he noticed some typical hair-metal groupies wearing matching bedazzled biker jackets and skin-tight neon leggings. Their arms draped over the shoulders of the androgynous musicians they came with. Miroku gulped, this place was worlds away from the dive bars and rock lounges that usually booked Mystic Lyzzard. He shut his eyes for a moment as he imagined the stadium packed with nothing but Mystic Lyzzard fans and himself at center right on the stage, hands busy on his guitar as beautiful women in the crowd screamed out his name at the top of their lungs. Fame; so close he could practically taste it.

Miroku snapped out of his daydream when Jimmy slammed on the breaks; parking into the van's designated spot behind the arena.

Jimmy tossed the van's keys in the air. "Alright, dudes. This is it. Now before we gather our stuff from the back of the van, I have a little somethin' to give you guys."

Reaching behind the driver's seat, Jimmy grabbed what looked like to be a big, black, trash bag. The contents in the bag dinged around as he lifted it over the seat and onto the center aisle. With a pocket knife ready in his dominant hand, Jimmy cut open the top of the trash bag. Stony held his nose as strong odors of leather and denim engulfed the van. "Ugh, it smells like the inside of Boot Barn." He complained.

Jimmy reached into the bag and tossed each band member a paper-wrapped package with their name on it. Miroku was the first to open his package. Inside of the package he found a black studded leather vest and matching pants. The getup was just like his previous stage wear but the stitching was a lot better and the leather was of much higher quality. Whoever did the redesign really paid attention to detail as each little stud on the vest was perfectly in place. He sat the new outfit aside. "Jimmy, where did you get these?"

"Remember Sango's friend Karen? Turns out she's an intern designer for one of the big Los Angeles fashion houses so I commissioned her to whip us up some stuff."

"So, was this before or after you slept with her?" Miroku taunted, knowing full well that there was a really good chance that Jimmy hooked up with Karen just so he could get the new stage wear on the cheap.

"After. Though truth be told; neither one of us did any _sleeping._ If you catch my drift."

"So you and Ginger Tits really went all out then." Stony snorted as he shook a couple of tic tacs in his mouth.

Jimmy rested his arms behind his head. A smile that could only be described as a mix of satisfaction and smugness stretched across his face. "All night long, bro."

"Dude, I think I'm in love. Karen, man...she's the one."

Miroku chuckled at Jimmy's confession. "Good, that means you assholes can stop ripping on me for being whipped. Also, shouldn't we get backstage? We're already way off schedule as it is."

"Whoa. What's the hurry, Miroku?" Andy yawned from the backseat.

Miroku smiled one of his not-so-stealthy 'I'm hiding something' grins. "Nothing, we just need to get our stuff ready. We go on in two hours and I know that you three like to procrastinate."

With Saying that last bit, Miroku grabbed his guitar case and stage getup as he headed towards backstage of the arena. The other members of Mystic Lyzzard quickly followed suit.

* * *

"Alright Sango, everything is set up at the table." Kagome yelled from the kitchen. Sango stepped down from the ladder in the walkway. She smiled as she looked up at her handiwork. For her first time making a Christmas wreath from scratch, she did a really good job.

Sango walked around the kitchen table, the way Kagome had set up the table was really cute. "Thanks, Kagome for offering to help me and my family set up for the party. The table looks fantastic!"

Kagome grinned. "Don't worry about it, what are friends for? Plus I didn't want to be stuck at another snooty Christmas party with my mom and her publisher. Last Christmas Eve I was completely bored out of my mind." Kagome grabbed one of the napkins off the table and tucked it under her sweater collar as she attempted her best impersonation of her mom's publisher. "I must say, Mrs. Higurashi you've really outdone yourself. Thirteen best sellers in a row? How do you do it? Hahahahhaha."

Sango held back a snort. "You sound like Mr. Belvedere. But keep going, that was hilarious."

Sango and Kagome paused when they heard a string of profanity coming from the backyard. Outside, Sango's dad seemed to be having a hard time with the deep fryer as his clamp on the turkey came loose and he tried to fish the bird out with a pair of BBQ tongs.

Kagome nudged Sango's arm. "You think your dad needs any help back there?"

Sango shook her head. "Don't look at me, I'm not getting anywhere near that greasy death trap."

Sango turned her head towards the front window when she heard what sounded like Miroku's Camaro outside. "Excuse me for a moment, Kagome." She said as she cut the conversation off, straightening her skirt out as she made her way towards the door to let Miroku in. Sango opened the door. "Hmph, I thought you weren't going to come." Sango took a step back when she saw not Miroku but Inuyasha at the front door.

"If you're expecting Miroku, he ain't coming til' later." Inuyasha stated as he walked through the front door.

"So what brings you by then?" Sango asked her disenchanted guest as he sat down on the couch.

"Miroku said that you needed help and there's gonna be free food here right?"

"Well, yeah."

"Okay then, so what do you want me to do?"

Sango let out a sigh. "You could help my dad outside with the turkey, considering that you only came here for the food."

Inuyasha nodded. "Anything else?"

Sango took a hard look at Inuyasha's unkempt long black hair. "Although, you'd probably need to tie back your hair since he's deep frying it. Come to my room and I'll get you a pony elastic."

"Sango, is it okay to come out of the kitchen now?" Kagome yelled from the other room.

"Yeah, it's fine!"

"Who's that?" inuyasha asked Sango after hearing the voice from the kitchen.

"Oh, that's Kagome. She's my roommate from college."

Kagome paused at the doorway when she saw who Sango was talking to. It definitely wasn't Sango's boyfriend, she was sure of that. Her lips curled upwards into an ecstatic grin when she realized just whom it was. Finally, this was it. Now she could get the answers she needed straight from the horse's mouth. Kagome cleared her throat. "Inuyasha? Hi, I'm Sango's roommate Kagome, you probably don't remember me but I was your server at Red Roosters a couple of months ago."

Inuyasha tried to remember who this girl was. Apparently, he made an impression on her but for the life of him he couldn't pinpoint who she was. "Yeah, not really ringing a bell, sorry."

Kagome frowned. "Your friend flirted with me at the booth when I took your order..."

"So, Miroku flirts with a lot of women."

"You ordered the pancakes..."

And just like that, the memory of this girl hit him at the mention of pancakes. "Oh, yeah. Pancake girl. I had no idea you knew Sango. Hmm, small world I guess."

Kagome's eye twitched. He didn't even address her by name just 'Pancake girl'. "It's Kagome."

"Whatever. Hey Sango, are you and Pancake girl going to put my hair up or what?" Inuyasha barked, heading towards sango's room at the end of the hallway.

"Oh right, the hair. I'll be there in a minute, Inuyasha."

Kagome pouted. "That Jerk! He didn't even address me by my name."

Sango patted her friend on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, for weeks I was only 'sno-ball girl' or 'Miroku's girlfriend'. So, how about it. Wanna help me braid the jerk's hair?'

"Sure, why not." Kagome sighed as she followed her friend down the hallway.

* * *

After changing into their stage clothes, Miroku and the others were absolutely stunned at how packed the inside of the arena was, despite the fact that a good number of acts had already been on stage. There were bands as far as the eye could see, spanning every genre from Hair Metal to Indie Rock. Miroku clutched his guitar case in his hand as a pair of bearded bikers brushed by him. The remaining members of Mystic Lyzzard stood in awe at the immense crowd while they waited for Jimmy to get back from signing the band in. Miroku's gaze darted around the arena some more to scope out the talent. Next to Mystic Lyzzard was a group of wild looking teenage glam rockers sitting cross-legged on the floor playing a game of poker. The teens passed around a flask that was terribly hidden in a brown paper bag though one had to wonder how they got the flask past security since the teens definitely didn't look 21; or even 18 for that matter. Across from the teens were a band consisting of three men in heavy black and white corpse paint and spikes. These guys looked really intimidating with their satanic, King Diamond inspired getup. Miroku watched as the tallest of the men lit two big matchsticks with a lighter, seemingly eating the flame directly from the matches. Miroku winced a little bit when the man extinguished the burning hot matchsticks on his tongue without even flinching in the slightest.

Soon enough, Jimmy returned with the stick on numbers for the competition. Miroku quickly affixed his number to the thigh of his pant leg. "So, when do we go on? "

Jimmy glanced at his watch. "In about 45 minutes."

"Well, well, well. If it isn't SHIT-stic Lyzzard" A loud, obnoxious, voice butted into the conversation. Miroku and Jimmy groaned. There was only one person that obnoxious voice could belong to. Randall Hyman; Mystic Lyzzard's former vocalist. Miroku cupped his face with his palm, that idiot was probably the last person he wanted to deal with today.

"Randall. I thought I smelled a rat." Miroku spat.

Randall smirked as he stroked his goatee. "Rat? Is that any way to address your superior. Be grateful, if it wasn't for me you wouldn't even be lead guitarist, Hoshima. So I'd quit with the insults."

"Fuck you, Randall. This isn't your band anymore." Stony snarled, glaring at the disgraced former band mate.

"Yeah, you're right. This isn't my band anymore. If It was, I certainly wouldn't have a vocalist like McSpadden over there who can't carry a tune to save his life. Oh, whassa matter Jimmy, was the bass to hard for you?"

Miroku's grip tightened on his guitar case. He wasn't about to let that assclown insult his friend and his band for that matter. "For your information, Jimmy is a much better vocalist than you'll ever be. Unlike you, he actually has range."

"Range? Is that what you call it."

"Yeah, range. Unlike that dying cat sound you've seemed to have perfected."

"Dying cat huh? Then explain how Acid Flesh has won the last three regional Battle of The Bands competitions in a row. Would have been four but you dickweeds ruined it in Sacramento."

"Now that both of us are on our home turf, we will wipe the floor with you dickheads." Randall bragged, slowly walking away from Mystic Lyzzard.

"How about putting your talent where your mouth is. Oh that's right, you have no talent!" Miroku shouted loud enough so that Randall and the rest of the people in the vicinity could hear him.

Randall's arm shot up as he shot the bird to the members of Mystic Lyzzard. Bellowing out in obnoxiously loud laughter, Randall hurried to meet up with his own band on the opposite end of the arena.

The members of Mystic Lyzzard continued to loiter around the practice area until one of the staffers for the Battle of the Bands called them forward. The staffer led the four guys into an area backstage where they could hear the current band on stage in full clarity. Miroku poked his head out from backstage to see who was on stage. Whoever these guys were, they were good, really good. Before he could get a closer look at the act on stage, the band had ended their performance.

"Ladies and gentlemen give it up for BONESAW!" The top-hatted, rock n' roll announcer bellowed through the microphone on stage as the audience roared in a frenzy of screams and applause.

As Bonesaw made their way backstage, Miroku finally got a good look at them. They were a glam-looking band consisting of three men, all of Asian descent and one member whom he could assume to be a woman by the feminine getup and makeup. Although, he wasn't quite sure as she was fairly tall with an adams apple and broad, powerful, shoulders without the need of shoulder pads.

The mystery woman brushed right by Miroku and with a very coy wink, she blew him a kiss. "Good luck out there, cutie." She spoke with a raspy voice, not quite like a typical woman's but fairly close to it.

Jimmy playfully elbowed Miroku in the shoulder. "Say, she was kind of cute."

Miroku shrugged. "I guess; but something tells me, she is really a _he_."

One of the staffers backstage adjusted his headset. "Alright, Mystic Lyzzard. You guys are up."

Miroku furrowed his brow as he walked out on the stage with the rest of the band. _Showtime._

* * *

 **[A/N]** So, I'm finally back to writing this fic. I apologize for the long, long, delay. I originally penned the beginning of this chapter out in December of 2015 (hence the XMAS theme) but life threw me a curveball and I never got around to finishing it in time for Christmas as I had a family crisis on the 22nd when my mom passed away after fighting a long, arduous, battle with cancer. Since then I really haven't been in the right mindset to write until recently. And to the readers of this fic, thank you all so much for the unwavering support. I promise the next chapter won't be delayed for so long.

* * *

 **80's SLANG/GENERAL GLOSSARY**

 **Mr. Belvedere -** An 80's sitcom about a fancy butler who is put in charge of an average American family.

 **Dickweed** – Self explanatory. A very 80's way of calling someone an asshole.

* * *

 **MIX TAPE**

 **TRACK 1: Loverboy – Working For The Weekend**

 **TRACK 2: Van Halen – Jump**

 **TRACK 3: Rush - Limelight**


	19. The Christmas That Almost Wasn't

Chapter 19: The Christmas That Almost Wasn't But Then Was.

Tensions were high as the members of Mystic Lyzzard along with the two other finalists waited sidestage for the results of the battle of the bands. Miroku's sweat drenched palms gripped the neck of his guitar as he pondered what a Mystic Lyzzard win would mean for the band. His grip tightened on the guitar when the bikini and leather clad babe handed the gold envelope to the announcer. Enthralled in the moment, Miroku watched as the announcer opened the envelope containing the name of the winning band.

Unfortunately, the name of the band wasn't his. The coveted title went to Banshee; a female-fronted glam band out of Santa Barbara.

Miroku's heart sank in his chest. He was so sure that Mystic Lyzzard would bring home the win tonight, after the shoutout from WROK he believed Mystic Lyzzard was a shoe-in. Somehow, with his band; the tradition of the group endorsed by WROK lost. On Miroku's left side, Jimmy tried his best to look positive about the whole outcome, whereas Andy stood silent. Stony wasn't having any of that though. Out of nowhere, Stony threw his drumsticks on the ground. Then the drummer predictably stormed off stage, heading to the exit closest to the van parked outside. As the oldest member of Mystic Lyzzard and the one with the most experience, Stony was beyond pissed that once again his chance to break out was ripped out from under him. Miroku, Jimmy, and Andy, rushed after their disgruntled percussionist pushing and shoving their way through the lingering crowds blocking the door. They eventually found Stony leaning against the van, cigarette in hand. The smoke from the cigarette and the cold air outside billowed around him as he took a drag.

Stony spoke up. "They weren't even good. We lost to a bunch of mediocre fairies in spandex with hair bigger than my sister. Fuck, is this what has become of metal? Some kind of bullshit beauty pageant?"

"Aw, come on stone-man don't be like that, you know as well as I know that we did a fantastic job." Jimmy said, trying to coax his friend into more of a positive mindset about the outcome.

"But it wasn't good enough. Ugh, it pisses me off that every year without fail, bands like us get snubbed while these fruity fucks always come back with the win. It's not fuckin' right, we had everything in our corner. A decent fanbase that we worked for from the ground up, an endorsment from WROK, still **NOTHING!** What the hell did they have that we didn't have this time?"

"A hot chick with a rockin' pair of tits." Andy sardonically remarked.

Stony shot a death glare at Andy.

Andy shrugged. "What? she was a total babe."

In the midst of the downer ending to the night's performance, Miroku almost forgot about Sango's party until Andy mentioned something how the guys missed out on the annual Christmas Eve kegger at the dunes. Miroku nearly froze. How could he have been so stupid to forget about the one thing he specifically reminded himself over and over not to forget.

"Miroku, man, is there something wrong? You look like you've just seen a ghost?" Jimmy asked, concerned about his friend's blank state.

"Sango." Miroku said under his breath as he rushed back inside the stadium. How could he have been so blindsided not to realize that it was already way past nine, meaning that Sango's party had already started. If it wasn't too late he could catch the bus that stopped by his home in the suburbs of Clearwater Beach. Maybe he could save the ten bucks in his wallet for something other than cab fare.

"Wait, Miroku! Where are you going?" Jimmy yelled out.

"Home!"

* * *

Miroku rushed down the corridor of the building with guitar case in hand. Even though Banshee had already won, the stadium was still littered with bands who really had nothing better to do than loiter around after-hours. The place was a pigsty with beer cups, bottles, and incapacitated rockers scattered on the floor. Like a pro, he artfully dodged his way over puke piles and spills with ease. Just as he was about to get to the front exit, Miroku heard someone call him with a "Hey, you!" Miroku looked over to his left and saw the members of Bonesaw sitting around in the lobby chairs. Miroku pointed to himself to make sure that the rockers were indeed calling him over. The leader of the band made a hand motion for Miroku to go over there. The man tossed miroku a beer out of their cooler. "Take a seat, friend."

Miroku took a seat on the lobby couch next to an oddly clean cut, baby-faced, asian teen. He assumed the teenager was probably related to one of the band members in some way. Though if that was the case, why was he scribbling in a notebook every time one of the members of Bonesaw said something. Miroku took another glance at the notebook in the teen's hand. On the back of the notebook there was an obvious fan-made vinyl sticker of Alice Cooper's face as well as assorted band logos scribbled in sharpie. For such a clean-cut looking kid, he had pretty good taste in music.

"You the guitarist from that Lizard band right?" the leader asked in an accent that could only be described as Brooklyn meets broken english.

Miroku nodded. "Mystic Lyzzard, actually."

"Dude, you got some chops out there, I was way impressed." the man stuck out his hand as he gave glowing praise to Miroku's guitar skills.

Miroku shook the guy's hand. "Hey thanks, man."

"So, you got a name, handsome?" The "female" member asked.

"It's Miroku." Miroku responded.

The band leader's eyes lit up. "Get out! You Japanese?"

"Uh yeah, well I was born here but my parents are from Tokyo."

"What a coincidence, we're all Japanese as well. I'm Bankotsu, baldy here is my brother Renkotsu; our main guirarist, the maneater over there is our bassist Jakotsu, and the fella with the face tattoos is our drummer, Suikotsu."

Miroku chuckled, _so that's where they got the bone in bonesaw._

Bankotsu cleared his throat. "Look, Miroku. I'm not one to beat around the bush...But, we'd like you to join us.

Miroku nearly choked on his beer. "Say what, are you serious?"

"Dead serious, We want you to join us as our rhythm guitarist. Think about it, you're talented, we're talented. We could be a powerhouse both stateside and in the motherland. So what do you say?"

Miroku shook his head. "The offer is enticing but I'll pass. I've been with Mystic Lyzzard since Sophomore year of high school and I'm not about to give up now."

Bankotsu shrugged. "It's your loss, but take this just in case you feel like trading up to the big-leagues."

Bankotsu handed Miroku a sleek, laminated, buisness card with Bonesaw's logo superimposed on the front. On the back was the number where he could reach their PR agent. Below it was Bankotsu's personal number.

"Hope to hear from you soon, cutie" Jakotsu flirted, blowing a kiss Miroku's way.

Miroku looked above at the skylight, it was already pitch black outside. He caught up with Bankotsu once again to ask what time it was.

"It's 25 minutes until ten." Bankotsu responded.

Miroku groaned as he sank into the lobby couch. "Fuck, I missed the bus home."

Having run out of options, Miroku ran outside to hail a cab. Ten minutes passed until one stopped for him. Miroku then froze again. Not because of Sango this time but because he remembered he didn't have any money on him. Somehow or another Miroku completely forgot that he left his wallet in his other jeans because the pockets on his leather pants were practically nonexistent due to the restrictive qualities of the material.

"Are you gonna get in or not, the meter's running and I ain't got all damn night." The balding, middle-aged, cabbie snarled inbetween puffs of his cigar.

Miroku smiled a sheepish grin. "You see, there's a teensy problem, miniscule really. I don't have any money. But in the spirit of the season, can you find it in your heart to spare me the fare so I can get to my destination?"

The cabbie threw his cigar butt out the window. "This buisness don't work like that, kid. You want my advice, get a job ya fuckin' hippie."

Miroku watched as the cabbie sped off. **"WELL, MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO!"** he yelled.

Defeated, Miroku made his way back into the arena. If he was going to have any chance of getting home in time, he'd have to hope like hell that the guys were ready to leave. Unfortunately, when he got to the parking lot where the van was, the vehicle and his bandmates were gone. Miroku cursed out loud as he kicked the loose gravel from the pavement below him in anger.

* * *

While the house filled up with her relatives from out of town as well as the other guests for the party. Sango sat by the window, sulking. Miroku said he would meet her by nine because that was when the competition officially ended. Yet it was 10:15 and he was nowhere to be found. Silently, she watched the cars go by the window, looking for Jimmy's van to show up with Miroku in tow any minute. At about the fiftieth car, she got up from her spot, reluctantly joining the rest of the guests at the party. Just because her boyfriend was an hour late didn't mean that she had to spend the entire night watching the road.

"Miroku, where are you?" she sighed under her breath.

* * *

Miroku sat on the curb with his face buried in his arms. This was it. Sango was going to kill him. By this time the arena had just about cleared out so the chances of him bumming a ride from a stranger were very slim. "So much for a Christmas miracle." he mumbled.

Just then he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was that guy who sat next to the Bonesaw band. "Need a ride home?" the teen asked him. Miroku paused, surely there was no way this kid had a license but beggars couldn't be choosers.

Miroku lifted his guitar case off the ground. "Oh man, that would be swell. Do you know how to get to Clearwater Beach from here?"

The teen nodded. " I live near there so it's not a problem at all! Follow me, my car is just out front."

Miroku followed the teen to the opposite side of the near-empty parking lot, eventually stopping at a blue AMC Gremlin parked in the lot closest to the bus stop. The car looked to have been taken care of really well. There was a small ding in the door, but other than that the Gremlin was in very good condition despite the model being at least ten years old. On the bumper of the car was a faded 'My child is an honor student at Pembroke Academy.' sticker.

"Just so you know, this wasn't my first choice in vehicles." the teen said as he unlocked the door.

Miroku buckled himself in the passenger seat. "It's perfectly fine to get someone from point A to point B isn't it? Thank you again for offering me a ride, you have no idea the world of hurt I'd be in if I was any more late."

The teen smiled. "No, problem. I needed to get out of there as well. Five days of following those pompous Bonesaw guys around for my piece in Razor's Edge is enough."

Miroku found himself puzzled at the teen's statement. Razor's Edge was one of the premiere rock and roll magazines. How could this kid work for them when he looked like a high schooler? Then again, he realized he shouldn't be so judgmental considering the fact he wasn't much older himself."

"Razor's Edge? As in the heavy metal magazine Razor's Edge?" Miroku asked.

"That's the one!"

"So, you write for Razor's Edge? No offense, but you look like you're still in High School."

the teen waved his hand. "None taken. I get that a lot."

"So how old are you anyways?" Miroku asked.

"18, but I'm only a college intern at Razor's Edge. I don't really have full editorial privileges yet but they do let me pretty much do whatever."

Miroku jerked back in his seat when the teen made a hard stop at the red light.

"Oh, snap I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Akira but most people call me by my last name, Hojo."

"Once again, Hojo. Thanks for the ride."

Hojo pushed a tape into the tape deck. "Say, Miroku was it? Do you want to hear some guitar work I did?"

"You play?" Miroku questioned.

"Well, I dabble in it. I'm not nowhere near as good as you guys from Mystic Lyzzard; awesome name by the way."

Miroku listened to the tape in the deck. This Hojo guy wasn't half bad. Granted, he could use a little fine tuning on his pace but there was definite potential. When the track ended, Hojo ejected the tape out of the deck.

"So what did you think?"

"Not bad, how long have you been playing?"

"Since I was 9. My dad wanted me to learn Spanish guitar but I gave that up because I kind of sucked. I hadn't played in years until I got inspired to pick up guitar again after landing my internship at Razor's Edge."

Miroku chuckled. "Overbearing parents huh?"

"They were the worst."

Miroku looked around the interior of the car a little more, finally he picked up a small polaroid picture from the center console. In the picture was Hojo and a couple of other people with a banner that said 'Journalism Club' behind them. There was a girl with her arm around Hojo in the pic that looked eeirly familiar.

"This your girlfriend? She's a cutie." Miroku asked, pointing to the girl in the picture.

"At one point in time she was. We broke up over the summer."

"Sorry to hear that."

Hojo slammed on the brakes at another red light. "No-no it's cool, it was a mutual break up."

Miroku and Hojo sat in silence for another fifteen minutes until the Gremlin made a stop on Magnolia Terrace, just a block away from where his car was on Cherrywood lane. Miroku scribbled down his phone number on the back of a Wendy's reciept from the center console. He handed the paper to Hojo.

"What's this?" Hojo asked.

"My phone number. In case you want to schedule some guitar lessons. I'd be happy to teach you some pointers."

Hojo tucked the reciept in his pocket. "Awesome, I will definitely call you up sometime."

Miroku waved goodbye as Hojo rode off into the distance, he hoped to hear from the guy soon about those lessons as he needed the extra cash. Business at the diner had been incredibly slow lately.

* * *

Somehow or another the wind picked up and the chill in the air intensified around Miroku who walked the block shivering like crazy. Luckily for him, his warm leather jacket was waiting for him in the front seat of the Camaro. Apparently Sango had more guests than he thought as the block was filled up with cars stretching all the way to the stop sign. He knew that he had arrived at the right address when he got to the house that had gumdrop style multicolored Christmas Lights and candy cane yard decorations that led to the porch. On the porch there was an array of old-fashioned red and green bubble lights fastened to the wooden banisters and an oversized straw and cloth dummy dressed in Santa Claus attire. Funny, he never took Officer Sato as the 'festive' type.

When Miroku finally arrived at his car he found the vehicle to be locked and it took him a while to realize that he lent his keys to Inuyasha. Not only was Miroku still dressed in his stage clothes, he was freezing trying to walk his way to his house three blocks away. When he finally arrived at his doorstep, Miroku searched under the flowerpot for the spare house key. Once he found the key, he unlocked the front door. By this time of night his parents and Rin were already home. Miroku walked into the kitchen to find his mom putting away leftovers from the office party in the fridge. Carefully, he tried to creep past her to get to his car keys in his bedroom as Inuyasha took the backup pair earlier that day. Chieko stopped him when he stepped on the creaky floorboard at the bottom of the stairs.

"And just where do you think you're going at this time of night?"

"Sango's party. And I'm already two hours late, mom. So I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't lecture me right now." Miroku huffed, walking up the stairs. Minutes later, he came down the stairs with his car keys clutched firmly in his hand. He stopped when he saw his mom standing next to a large wooden crate of Sake bottles with a big red bow tied to the front.

"What's this for?" Miroku asked.

"It's a present for Sango's family." Chieko explained. "Mushin sent it to your father about a week ago and I want it out of my sight. You know how your father gets when he's drunk. I've waited too long for that man to sober up only to have your wino uncle ruin it all in one night."

Miroku lifted the crate off the ground. It was a lot heavier than it looked.

After lugging the heavy crate all the way to Sango's place, Miroku shoved the key in the door of his car to grab the jacket. When he turned around to lock the door behind him, Sango met him at the curb dressed in a curve-hugging black velvet turtleneck dress that stopped just above her knees, red tights, and suede ankle boots that matched the dress. Her hair was done up in her usual high ponytail. Only this time instead of a bow, there was a red fastener with two bells on it that jingled as she walked. This was also the first time he had ever seen her wear lipstick. The ruby red hue of the lipstick complimented her fair skin perfectly. If looks could kill, he would be dead right then and there. Even though Sango smiled at him, it was a cold smile that really said. "You lied."

"Nine o' clock huh?" She hissed, tapping her foot on the concrete.

Miroku picked up the heavy crate once again. "I know, I know. I'm two hours late but I'm here now and look, I brought Sake!" He exclaimed, lifting the box above his head.

"Just get inside." Sango huffed, walking to the open front door. Miroku followed suit, still toting the heavy crate.

When Miroku reached the inside of the house he had to manuever his way through quite a big crowd. Not only was there Sango's family. Officer Sato also invited his cop coworkers from the station. Miroku nervously gulped. This was definitely the wrong time and place to be dressed in his stage clothes and holding booze.

Officer Sato stopped Miroku at the door. "Whoa, hold it. What's with the getup, Spray Paint?"

"What, you've never heard of the sake elf? Yeah, he dresses in leather and leaves a case of sake just like this at your doorstep." Miroku sarcastically quipped, handing the crate to Sango's father. "Merry Christmas."

Dan's frown turned into a smile as he inspected one of the bottles. "It's about time you brought me something useful instead of a headache. Tell your folks I said thanks."

Miroku caught up with Sango in the Kitchen. "Your dad, he's not drunk is he? He seems...happier."

Sango chuckled as she poured herself a cup of soda. "Drunk, no. Buzzed on Officer Collins' spiced eggnog cocktails? probably."

"Sango, you're back!" a female voice rang in Miroku's ears. Behind him stood a girl who strangely looked a lot like the one in the picture that he found in Hojo's car.

"Well, yeah. I never left the house. Honestly, Kagome where were you?"

"Oh! by the way this is my boyfriend, Miroku. Miroku, this is my roommate Kagome." Sango said, introducing the two."

Kagome, that name seemed oddly familiar to Miroku and then it hit him. "Cutie waitress!" he exclaimed.

"Pardon me?" Kagome asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Now, I remember. You were that cute waitress at Red Roosters. Small world."

Sango Scowled. "Cute waitress? Care to explain yourself, Miroku."

Miroku put his arm over Sango's shoulder. "You see babe, Inu and I sometimes go to Red Rooster's in the morning for breakfast. The last couple of times we went, Kagome was the waitress that usually came to our booth to take our order."

Embarrassed, Sango's face flushed a bright pink. "I see. I guess I forgot that Kagome has had more part-time jobs than I remember."

Kagome nodded in agreement. "You know if it wasn't for the fact that I have a hard time forgetting anything, I probably would have lost track myself."

"By the way, where's Inuyasha?" Miroku pondered out loud, eyeballing the room for any sign of his friend.

"In Kohaku's room, they're watching a movie about homicidal Christmas hobgoblins or something." Sango responded inbetween sips of soda.

Sango sat her cup on the counter. "I'd like you to meet my family, Miroku. Follow me back into the living room please."

Once in the living room again, An athletic middle aged man with a tan, facial stubble, and a low semi-gray ponytail walked up to Sango and gave her a bear hug. "There's my favorite niece. We thought we lost you for a minute!"

Sango's uncle was a laid back guy who wore dark green bermuda-style shorts, flip-flops, an open red short sleeve button down with a white tank top underneath, and a puka shell necklace. Miroku couldn't help but notice that the man had a very odd fashion sense for this kind of winter weather. Then he vaguely remembered that most of Sango's family was from Hawaii so dressing like that in winter would probably be commonplace on the islands.

Sango struggled to get out of the man's bear hug of doom. "Uncle Manta! Let me go. You're hugging me too tight."

The man moved his arms from around his flustered niece. "Sometimes I forget you're a young lady now. You used to love my hugs when you were little after all."

Sango cleared her throat. "Uncle Manta, this is my boyfriend Miroku. Miroku, this is my Uncle, Manta Sato."

Miroku shook the man's hand. Manta Sato, that name seemed to ring a bell. In an instant Miroku remembered that Manta Sato was the legal name of Manta-Ray one of the big five competition surfers of the seventies. Come to think of it, Sango's uncle did bear a striking resemblance to the professional surfer Manta-Ray, albeit older than the pictures in the late-sixties/early-seventies era copies of Sports Illustrated Miroku's dad kept in the garage.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to be related to the pro surfer Manta-Ray Sato would you?" Miroku asked, wondering if his hunch was true.

Sango's uncle took a step back, smiling. "You're looking at him! Aloha, friend."

Miroku's smile widened. "Let me shake your hand again. Dude, you're like a legend! Sango, how come you never mentioned your uncle was Manta-Ray, one of the greatest big wave surfers of all time!"

Sango patted her boyfriend on the shoulder. "Calm down, fanboy. There's more people you need to meet."

Miroku then met, Manta's wife, Lani. Lani was a short, bottom-heavy, Hawaiian woman at about five even with glossy jet black hair that reached her hips. Miroku was shocked to find out that Lani was in her late thirties because she looked close to his own age. Lani and Manta also had two kids: Sango's cousins Kari and Ray Junior. Kari was a little girl, slightly younger than Miroku's own sister, Rin. Manta's other kid Ray Jr. was about four, though incredibly shy as he spent most of the time clinging to the hem of his mother's skirt.

Later on, Sango introduced Miroku to her Aunt Rita and Rita's husband Mark. Sango explained to him that her Aunt Rita was actually her dad's twin sister. Unlike Manta, Rita moved off the Islands years ago. Rita and Mark met at the hospital where she worked as nurse. Miroku tried not to snort when Sango began to mouth the words coming out of Mark's mouth while he told his cheesy story about how the first time he met Rita in the hospital after an appendix removal and when she drew his blood for lab testing, she actually took a piece of his heart.

If Sango's uncle wasn't so painfully friendly, Miroku would have been somewhat intimidated by the man. Mark was a tall man with rugged, chiseled, looks and a powerful frame that towered over the rest of the family. Miroku would have bet that the man was some kind of Armed Service member due to his demeanor and the way his grey-blond hair was styled into a short, military style, crew-cut. Miroku's assumption about the man turned out to be correct when Mark mentioned that he was a Marine Corp general and a Vietnam war veteran while telling another long-winded story.

While mark was rambling on about his platoon days, Miroku discreetly took another long look at Sango's aunt. For a woman nearly twenty years his senior, Aunt Rita was a definite looker. She was tall, graceful, with a dark brown bob-style haircut and not to mention curves in all the right places. If Sango aged as well as her aunt in the future, he'd be a lucky guy. Miroku shook his head, now wasn't the time to think about marriage.

Rita pulled Sango aside. "My, you've grown even more lovely since the last time I saw you!" she beamed. "Oh, I almost forgot I finally developed the pictures from the wedding."

"Mark and I renewed our vows for our 13th wedding anniversary last year." Rita said to Miroku.

Miroku exhaled. S _o much for trying not to think about marriage._

Both he and Sango watched as Rita dug around in her oversized designer purse for the picture.

"Aha! There it is." Rita cheered, taking out a small photo album. She flipped to one of the pages in the center. "Look Sango, it's the picture of all the bridesmaids. Aren't you just adorable in your dress!"

Miroku looked at the picture in Rita's album. Like the other girls in the photo, Sango was dressed in a long, puff-sleved, royal blue taffeta dress that hugged her figure a little too well. The dress was probably a size too small as the same dress on the other bridesmaids didn't look nearly as tight. Not that it mattered to Miroku, his girl could wear anything and make it look good.

Sango nudged him in the shoulder. "Between you and me, I really hated that dress." she whispered in his ear.

Like Manta and Lani, Rita and Mark also had two kids, Brandon and Bryce who were coincidentally also twins. The preteen boys weren't around as they were also in Kohaku's room watching that dumb hobgoblin movie.

Aside from the twins, there was Lisa, the twins' half sister. Lisa was about 15 years old with green eyes, permed light brown hair and braces. She hadn't quite filled out yet as her baggy purple sweater hung over her slender, boyish, frame like a potato sack. Lisa sat on the couch, occupied with the phone in the living room, out of all the people she was probably the loudest as she had to speak up so her boyfriend on the other line could hear her. Sitting beside Lisa on the couch was the matriarch of Sango's family. Sango's grandmother, Tomoko. She was an elderly woman in her 70's and partially blind.

Sango introduced Miroku to her grandmother. "Obaasan, this is my boyfriend Miroku."

Miroku bowed to the elderly woman. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

Sango's grandmother reached up to feel the sides of Miroku's face. "Come closer so I can take a good look at you." Miroku did as she asked. The elderly woman lifted Miroku's chin, pinching his cheeks. "You've got a good jawline, son. Nice and strong, and handsome too."

Miroku rubbed his cheek, for an old lady she had some grip. "thank you, obaasan."

The old woman adjusted her glasses. "Now, turn around please. Go on."

Once again Miroku did as the elderly woman asked. Embarassed, he stood there for about five seconds. Miroku jumped when he felt Sango's grandmother's cold hand grab his rear.

"Yes, this'll do just fine." the old woman praised as she released her grip on Miroku's butt.

"Fine for what?" Miroku was almost hesitant to ask.

The old woman laughed. "For making me some healthy great grandchildren of course, young man. Sango, don't let this one out of your sight, he's a keeper!"

Sango's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. **"Grandma!"**

"Well, what are you two still standing around here for? Go on, shoo! Go get married already so you can make me some babies. Twins run in our family so make sure to double up on diapers." Grandma Sato cackled with glee.

Something told Miroku that the old woman probably got a rise out of teasing her eldest granddaughter. If that was the case then he and Grandma Sato had something in common, aside from the admiration of fantastic posteriors of course.

Sango rolled her eyes at her grandmother's heckling. "Come on Miroku, I have something to give you in my room."

Miroku stopped her before she got to her room. "Sango, would it be okay if we met in my car instead? I have something for you as well."

* * *

With her gift bag in hand, Sango walked across the yard to Miroku's Camaro where he was already waiting for her. She didn't know what Miroku had planned inside the car for her but somehow she knew it would probably end with a makeout session. Miroku was predictable that way.

"Here." she said, handing the gift bag to Miroku.

"What's this?" Miroku asked.

"It's your Christmas gift from me. Just open it."

Miroku took the tissue paper off the top of the bag. He reached inside and pulled out a pack of replacement guitar strings.

"Guitar strings, how useful. Thank you Sango."

"Wait, Miroku. There's two more things in the bag. I didn't just get you guitar strings you know."

Miroku pulled out the 2nd item, it was a black t shirt with Mystic Lyzzard's logo screenprinted on the front in white.

"I heard somewhere that it's blasé for musicians to wear their own logo but I thought you might want something nice for the road. So I had that shirt custom printed for you."

Miroku chuckled. "Well, I love it. And I think that it's pretty rad that you made me something so personal."

Sango watched as Miroku removed the final item from the bag.

Miroku inspected the item in his hand, it was a long indigo scarf of some sort with tassels on the end. He could tell by the quality of the wool that Sango had knitted it herself. "Did you make this too, Sango?"

Sango nodded. "Uh-huh. So what do you think?"

Miroku reached over to give his girlfriend a big hug. "I think these are the best gifts I've gotten all year, because you made them. Thank you." Miroku looped the scarf around his neck. "In fact, I'm going to wear the scarf right now."

Miroku reached behind his seat for Sango's gift. "And now for your gift!" he handed the medium sized box to Sango. Carefully, Sango began to unrap the snowflake printed wrapping paper. When she finished, Sango held in her hands a brand new pair of ice skates, still in the box. She let out a gasp when she saw how much Miroku spent on the skates on the back of the box.

"I remember you said something about wanting to go ice skating so I got those for you." Miroku explained.

"Miroku, I love them but you really didn't have to spend all that money on me."

"Sango, there's one more thing I need to give you, it kind of ties in with the skates. Open the glovebox please."

Sango opened the glovebox and found a red envelope. She opened the envelope to find some kind of brochure with two spa vouchers inside. "What's this about, Miroku?"

"You see Sango, my uncle Mushin owns a small bathhouse spa built on top of a natural hot spring up in the mountains and I'd like you to join me when I go visit him next weekend for New Years. It'll only be for four days at the most. Well, unless you want to stay longer."

Sango thought about it for a minute, alone with Miroku in the mountains for four days. _A lot could happen in four days, maybe we might even..._ Sango's trail of thought stopped right there.

"I accept." she said.

"Really? You'll spend New Years with me?"

Sango nodded. "I've been wanting to take a vacation for quite some time now so this is actually perfect."

"Hey, Sango. I hate to interrupt you but you're forgetting something else." Miroku proclaimed with a sly grin on his face.

Sango raised an eyebrow, she knew where he was heading with the 'forgetful' schtick so she decided to play along. Her ruby lips curled into an impish smirk. "Oh really? Tell me Miroku, what did I forget this time?"

"My Christmas kiss, we've been sitting under mistletoe this whole time." Miroku said, pointing to the mistletoe sprig he scotch-taped to the roof of his car. "Pucker up, babe."

Sango leaned over to give her boyfriend a simple kiss to shut him up but he stopped her midway. "No-no Sango, that simply won't do, here let me show you how it's done." As soon as Miroku made his move, within seconds his tongue crept past her lips, turning her simple peck into a full-blown french kiss. Sango broke away from the kiss when Miroku's hands started to travel further down her body.

"Before you do that thing you always do, can you answer me one question?"

Miroku lifted her chin with his thumb. "Yes, my Sango?"

"How'd it feel to get felt up by my grandmother?"

* * *

A/N I didn't think I'd be able to finish this chapter when it was still relevant but sometimes I even surprise myself. To all my readers/followers Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas. I hope the next couple of chapters will not take me an eternity and a half to get through as I find myself wanting to write more on this story.

MIX TAPE:

there is no mix tape this time because of the theme so any generic holiday music will do.


	20. The Mall Crawl

Chapter 20: The Mall Crawl

Rows and rows of books surrounded Sango and Kagome as they paced around the bookstore. This was a nice change of pace for the two of them. with the hectic holiday schedule now behind both girls, they now had a little down time to just hang out as friends. Sango browsed the clearance rack in the true crime section as she skimmed each book's blurb on the back to decide which ones she would take home for some much-needed leisure reading. Flipping through the pages of a rather thick hardcover anthology of unsolved American cold-cases. The smell of ink and paper nestled it's way into Sango's nose. Sango smiled, she missed this scent. When she would hang out with Amy and Miranda back in high school, they would never set foot in a place like this unless it was to flirt with single guys from the neighboring Junior College. Sango browsed the aisles a little more, eventually deciding to add the cold case anthology to her basket.

At the back of the bookstore was a small connected cafe. Besides the books there was another smell in the bookstore that Sango loved to take in. Coffee. The cafe was a fairly new addition to the bookstore's space and already it was a hit with the customers and for good reason, the espresso drinks were some of the best in town bar-none. Feeling that she still had some time before Kagome came looking for her, Sango walked up to the counter and ordered her favorite drink, a french vanilla cappuchino. With the ceramic mug of coffee in one hand and the book she planned on purchasing in the other, Sango sat down in one of the plush chairs in the lobby. She flipped through the book between sips waiting for her friend to return with more things to add to the already crowded shopping basket.

When Kagome returned Sango's eyes widened at the sheer size of the stack of newspapers her friend lugged to the table by her feet. Sango ran her fingers over the edge of the newspapers. "When you said you had a big order to attend to you weren't kidding. Just what are all of these newspapers for anyways?"

Kagome placed the newspapers in a larger, wheeled shopping basket. "Research. I'm behind on my leads since I've been at school for the last four months. Luckily, the bookstore is kind enough to backorder both international and local newspapers for me. Anyways, did you find what you needed?"

Sango nodded, handing her book to Kagome. "Check it out!"

"Good find!" Kagome exclaimed.

Sango took one last sip of her latte, returning the empty mug to the counter. "So, are you ready to head out of here?"

"Definitely." Kagome said as she placed the papers back into the wheeled shopping cart along with the other books in Sango's basket.

Just as the two girls were about to check out their purchases Kohaku came up to them, looking out of breath.

"Kohaku, what are you doing here?" Sango asked, wondering how her little brother made it all the way across town by himself.

Kohaku caught his breath. "Dad drove me. Sis, I need to ask a favor of you."

Sango handed the money for her book to the cashier. "Alright, shoot."

"I need you to take me to the mall."

Sango was puzzled at her brother's request. Other than the occasional trip to Cinema 27 and Final Frontier Comics, the mall was definitely a place Kohaku avoided like the plague.

"Lemme guess, you want to get some more comics?"

Kohaku shyly gripped his elbow. "Not exactly."

"Well, then what is it?"

Kohaku groaned. "Do I have to tell you?"

Sango held the car keys in front of Kohaku's face, taunting him. "Only if you want me to take you there, dear little brother."

Annoyed, Kohaku's cheeks blazed bright red. "It's a girl, okay." he spat out.

* * *

Once inside the Urban sprawl of Oceanview Plaza Mall, Sango and Kagome watched as Kohaku stopped at the entrance to the mall's food court. He shifted his attention to "Cookie Time," a pastel pink fast-food restaurant with whimsical pictures of cookies, cuckoo clocks, and candy on the walls. Cookie Time was a smaller restaurant that specialized in fresh-baked cookies and hand-spun milkshakes. Behind the register, there was a teenage girl with shoulder-length jet black hair in a high ponytail with side bangs pinned back by neon green hair clips. The girl seemed to be Kohaku's age, maybe a little older but not by much. She wore a puffed sleeve white blouse, a cotton candy colored pink and blue striped apron, and a matching visor. There was another girl working the counter as well, putting fresh baked cookies onto the display trays but Kohaku's attention was solely on the girl working the register.

Sango placed her hand on her brother's shoulder. "So, that's the girl huh? She looks pretty cute."

Kohaku nodded. "Her name is April Wong, she's a sophomore at my school. We have French class together but she doesn't know I like her."

Sango giggled, the way her brother was acting nervous was so cute. "Since when did you start to get interested in girls?"

Kohaku's cheeks blazed bright red once more, this time from embarrassment from his sister. "Sis, I'm fourteen and in high school. Of course I like girls. I just have a little trouble approaching them. Besides you're a girl so I figured you'd help my problem better than Miroku or Bradley would."

Thinking, Sango scrunched her lips. "Hmm, you may be right about that. If you took Miroku's advice you'd probably end up getting slapped or milkshake thrown in your face. And I don't even want to think what would happen if you took Bradley's advice since that guy is as creepy as they come. My advice is to just be yourself, be direct. Girls don't like guys who peacock."

"You know sis, Bradley has asked me numerous times for a lock of your hair to whip up a binding love spell so you'd date him."

Sango visibly cringed at her brother's remark. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Now go on and talk to her, Kagome and I will be waiting right here for you."

After waiting for almost half an hour, Kohaku finally returned to the table where Sango and Kagome were. His face was downturned into a blank frown. Sango feared the worst for her little brother when he motioned for the two girls to follow him into the main mall corridor. When he made it out of the food court, a wide grin spread across Kohaku's face as he pulled out a piece of paper from his jeans pocket. "I got her number!"

Sango tried not to squeal in excitement over the fact that her little brother's first time asking a girl out went so well. "That's great, Kohaku! So now what are you going to do?"

"I think April said she clocks out in five minutes so I'm probably going to hang out with her for a bit."

Reaching into her wallet, sango pulled out a ten dollar bill to hand to her brother. "Here, this is in case you and your friend get hungry. Also, dad did give you his pager right?"

Kohaku shoved the bill in his wallet. "Yes sis, it's in my jacket pocket."

"Good. Kagome and I are going to shop around for a bit. Be sure to page me when you're ready to go home."

* * *

"When do you leave for the mountains, Sango?" Kagome asked as she browsed the array of candles displayed at the front of a store that sold home décor and other household items.

"Tomorrow morning, I'm just about done packing up. I'm actually really excited about it because I haven't had a decent vacation in years."

Kagome's eyes narrowed. "and?"

Sango placed a candle back on the shelf. "And what? I'm just going to spend new years with my boyfriend. There's not really anything else going on."

"So, you're going to tell me that you're not even going to buy a new outfit or anything?"

Sango brought her index finger to her chin. "Well, I do need some warmer tights, another sweater, and maybe a new pair of boots that have better traction for snow but I don't know if I can fit it in my budget. I only have about eighty bucks left."

Kagome reached into her oversized purse. "Say no more." she said, grabbing a gold American Express credit card out of her wallet. Kagome placed the card in Sango's hand. "Here, we can use this."

"K-Kagome, no. I couldn't." Sango stammered, trying to give the card back to her friend.

"It's okay. Really I insist. My mom gives me five hundred dollars per week in allowance. I hardly ever touch it so you can buy whatever you like."

Sango nearly dropped the candle in her hand to the ground. "FIVE HUNDRED **A WEEK**?" loudly blurting out to the whole store that Kagome was indeed loaded.

Kagome placed her hand over Sango's mouth. "Shh, keep your voice down." she whispered "But yes, five hundred a week.

Sango removed Kagome's hand from her mouth. "Kagome, I don't know what to say. Furthermore, how will I ever repay you?"

Kagome furrowed her eyebrows. "Gee, Sango. What part of don't worry about it are you not getting? You're my best friend. I insist you treat yourself."

"You're the best kagome!" Sango exclaimed, giving Kagome a hug.

The two girls browsed around the mall a bit longer, finally stopping at a fairly large department store at the opposite end of the mall. Kagome and Sango rummaged through the clothing racks, each pulling something out to ask the other's opinion on the garment. Eventually, Sango wound up getting her tights as well as a thick cable-knit sweater, a skirt, boots, and a down jacket with an adjustable faux fur trimmed hood.

Right when Sango and Kagome were about to leave the department store with the bags in hand, they were abruptly stopped by Sango's friends from St. Catherines; Karen and Amy.

"Sango! I thought that was you!" Amy shrieked, running towards Sango to give her a hug.

Sango returned the greeting. "Amy! Karen! It's been a while."

Sango took a long hard look at her old friends, it had only been a few months but she could barely recognize them. Amy apparently lost some weight since the last time Sango saw her, although she was still noticeably chubby in her midsection. Karen on the other hand simply got a haircut as she now sported a short, curly, layered bob."

"Well, Sango. Are you going to introduce us to your friend?" Amy asked, her eyes fixated on Kagome standing next to Sango.

Sango cleared her throat. "Kagome these are my old friends from St. Catherines, Karen and Amy. Karen and Amy this is my roommate and friend from campus, Kagome."

"Hello." Kagome politely waved at each of the girls. Sango had mentioned both of them before in the past, Karen was definitely every bit as quirky as Sango said she was. Amy on the other hand looked a little different than what Kagome pictured. Amy was chubbier than she imagined but aside from that, she was still very pretty.

Karen rubbed her stomach mid introduction. "I'm sorry Sango but I'm really freaking hungry, do you mind if we move our conversation to the food court. I'm like starving over here because Amy thinks that tic-tacs are a meal."

Amy stuck her tongue out at Karen's joke. "Hey now, just because you're lucky enough to have your fat go to your boobs, don't judge me for trying lose weight."

* * *

Back at the food court; Sango, Kagome, and Amy all found a place to sit as they patiently waited on Karen to get back with the food. When Karen came back, she held a brown paper bag from Del Taco in her hand as well as a cardboard drink carrier with four medium-sized soft drinks.

"I only had enough money left for Del Taco. I hope burritos are okay." Karen said as she passed the bag around so Sango and Amy could each grab a burrito. Oh and Kagome, I got an extra one for you too."

"Thank you, Karen." Kagome smiled, taking the last burrito out of the bag.

"So, where's Miranda at? It feels kind of weird to not see her with you two." Sango asked, confused since Miranda always hung out with Amy and Karen at the mall.

Karen sighed, "Miranda stopped talking to us months ago."

"What brought on that?" Sango asked as she carefully unwrapped her burrito.

Karen began to explain the story. "Well, as you may know all three of us got into UCSD. But only one of us got into Zeta Sigma Phi and that was Miranda. And ever since she joined their sorority she pretty much ditched us for them. She even dyed her hair blonde and got a total hairbear-tier perm if you can believe it."

"She also ditched us once she became runner up for the Miss Teen San Diego pageant, We even took time off from our summer jobs to watch her compete but afterwards she told us she was sorry and couldn't see us anymore because we were 'bad influences' to her future acting career."

Amy threw her braid over her shoulder. "Ugh, the 'bad influence' excuse drove me bonkers. I mean, what kind of totally lame cop-out is that? Anyways, I later found out from Miranda's brother that her agent had been pressuring her to do all kinds of things for her so-called _image._ I guess Karen and I were not 'ideal' enough to keep around probably because I'm fat and Karen is a total koozbane when it comes to fashion choices."

"That's horrible!" Sango and Kagome gasped in unison.

"Aren't you upset?" Sango questioned, concerned that her friends seemed unusually okay with Miranda turning her back on them. After all, those three girls had been inseperable long before she showed up in the picture freshman year.

Amy shook her head. "Not really, I mean she started acting like she was better than us long before we graduated. It was only a matter of time before the friendship actually, like ended y'know."

Karen nodded in agreement. "Basically what Amy said."

Kagome rummaged through her purse for some loose bills to pay Karen back for the burrito. "How much do I owe you for the food?"

"You don't have to worry about that. Also, you can call me Riley instead of Karen."

Sango raised an eyebrow at Karen's request. Karen hadn't used anything but her middle name for years on account of the fact that she always complained her first name sounded too masculine despite the fact that it really wasn't masculine at all.

"Since when did you start using your first name again? You haven't gone by Riley since freshman year at St. Catherines."

"You mean Miroku hasn't told you?"

"Told me what?" Sango almost hesitated to ask because she knew if it involved Miroku it probably involved his tendency to flirt with anything that moved. If he tried anything on Karen, their relationship would be over, pronto.

"I've been dating his friend Jimmy for over three months now."

Sango let out a sigh of relief. "First off, congratulations I guess. But that still doesn't answer my question."

Back on topic, Karen answered Sango's question. "Oh, the Riley thing. Yeah I started using my first name again because Jimmy thinks it sounds cuter than Karen. I always thought it sounded like a boy's name but the way he says it is just too sexy." So, what have you been up to, Sango? I haven't seen you since that night we went to The Meridian."

"I'm about to leave on a trip upstate with Miroku tomorrow morning. So that I guess."

"Is it a family trip or are you two going alone?" Amy butted in.

"Alone. He's got this whole romantic spa weekend thing set up for the two of us. I'm excited but also a little nervous."

Amy looked confused at Sango's 'nervous' comment. "Why are you nervous? I mean you guys have been going out for a while surely you're not still a..."

"A virgin? Yeah, I still haven't done it with him yet." Sango mumbled inbetween sips of her cherry coke.

"Have you at least given him oral? Third base? Jeez Sango, are you just going to stand around and let him do all the work? I mean, surely the guy is giving you all kinds of signals."

"Didn't you say that Miroku likes to feel up your butt a lot when you make out?" Kagome Interjected.

"Not helping, Kagome." Sango groaned.

Amy sighed. "God you're hopeless, Sango. I hope you at least plan on doing something tomorrow night before he leaves you for not making any moves. If I were you, I wouldn't even wait. I'd totally do him right now."

Sango buried her face in her palms, blurting out an excuse so Amy would drop the subject. "You don't think I want to do it with him? I just haven't had the time that's all."

Amy sarcastically rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. Sure, Sango. I usually don't go for the headbanger type but if you don't want him I'll gladly take him off your hands."

Sango started to get visibly irritated at Amy's intrusive questions. "Why is the subject of my virginity so important to you anyways?" She snapped. "I can't be the only virgin out of our group right? What about you Riley, Weren't you going to save yourself for marriage?"

Riley let out a deep breath. "Sorry Sango, I lied. I lost my virginity when I started dating David at the end of last year. And you don't want to know how many times Jimmy and I have done it since."

"Anyways, Sango. What's in the shopping bags?" Riley asked, skillfully changing the topic of the conversation at hand.

"Nothing special in particular, Just some clothes for the trip."

Amy smirked. "You remembered to get lingerie too right? Don't tell me you're going to go alone with a guy to do it and not wear something special? "

Sango sank down into her seat, groaning. "I thought we were done with this conversation already."

Amy grabbed Sango by the hand, pulling her up from the seat. "Alright, ass it up."

"Wait-wait where are you taking me?" Sango whined, trying to free herself from Amy's grasp as the girl dragged her out of the food court.

"Shopping. Duh."

Sango gulped, she didn't like where this was going at all.

Minutes later, Sango found herself across the mall at a lingerie store aptly named 'Scarlet's Whisper'. Once among the sprawling racks of lacy underthings and scantily-clad mannequins Sango tried to make a run for it but Amy dragged her right back in. An employee of the mall chain noticed the struggle and decided to intervene.

"Yes, ladies. How can I help you?" The woman asked.

Amy shoved Sango in front of her. "My friend would like to get sized up for a new bra. Can you help her?"

"Certainly, Miss. Right this way."

Reluctantly, Sango and the others followed the employee to the dressing room where there was a four-way mirror and a rack full of reject clothes in the corner. The employee instructed Sango to remove her sweater so she could measure her. Taking a deep breath, Sango did just that. Amy watched as Sango pulled the sweater over her head, revealing a plain white bra that was obviously too small on account of the fact that Sango was practically spilling out of it.

"This won't take long will it?" Sango asked the employee.

"Not at all miss. Now lift up your arms for me please so I can measure your underbust."

After measuring Sango, the employee sat the paper tape measure aside. "Alright, you're a 36D."

"36D? No, No. That can't be correct. I've been a 34C since my freshman year of high school." Sango objected, refusing to believe that her chest had grown that much since the last time she bought actual lingerie and not the usual 3 pack of plain cotton underwire bras she'd buy in the women's department at Mervyns.

The employee shook her head. "No miss, 36D is correct, see where I marked it on the tape?"

Sango put her sweater back on, trying not to pout that despite her active lifestyle, she still managed to gain weight in her chest.

Amy frowned. "Are you seriously pouting Sango? Most women can only dream of having natural boobs like yours. So they're a little bit bigger than before? It's no big deal."

Riley nodded in agreement with Amy. "Amy is right you know. Do you know how hard it is for me to find bras that fit? I have to either sew my own or special order them from a mail order catalog because nobody sells a 32G. Besides you have the perfect size. When you get boobs as big as mine are, the upper back problems come right along with them."

Sango exhaled. Maybe her friends did have a point. Getting up from the bench in the ladies fitting room, Sango gazed outwards into the store's unfamiliar lacy territory. "So, where do I start first?"

* * *

Miroku looked down at his watch. He and Inuyasha had been wandering around Oceanview Plaza for thirty minutes now, biding their time while Rin and her friends browsed the numerous shops. Not that he was complaining or anything. After all, the mall did have some areas that definitely piqued his interest. He glanced over his shoulder at a very grumpy Inuyasha who trailed behind him at a snail's pace. The surly hunched-over teen garnered a lot of stares from the other shoppers at the mall. And with every stare, Inuyasha became even grumpier.

"You know if you wouldn't insist on wearing that delinquent getup everywhere, people probably wouldn't stare as much."

"Like you care." Inuyasha scoffed.

"Well, didya have to bring the wooden sword too?"

"Feh."

Miroku slowed down to let Inuyasha catch up. "Besides, didn't my parents get you a new jacket for Christmas?"

"I don't like windbreakers or the color purple."

"Fair enough." Miroku shrugged.

"So, when's Rin gonna be done with her stuff? I'm ready to go home." Inuyasha griped, not before staring down some bowl-cutted blond kid holding a soft pretzel, fascinated by the wooden sword strapped to Inuyasha's hip."

Miroku chuckled. "Home? But we just got here. Come on Inuyasha, lighten up a little and have some fun."

"Now, isn't that a sight for sore eyes." Miroku remarked, stopping in his tracks to ogle a pair of girls from behind in one of the mall shops. Originally he planned to pass up Scarlet's Whisper but the thinner, more curvaceous, girl of the pair had caught his attention. Miroku watched closely as she would pick different bras off the rack, and then put them right back and move on to the next thing. With each racy undergarment the girl inspected, the more Miroku became curious about what she would look like in it. The way her tight jeans hugged her hips and perfectly ample bottom certainly didn't hinder his imagination any.

Inuyasha stood behind Miroku, annoyed that Miroku stopped just to mentally undress some girl in the bra shop.

"Don't you think it's kind of skeevy that you still check out almost every girl that crosses your path even though you're in a relationship?"

Miroku continued to ogle the girl through the window. "What Sango doesn't know won't hurt her. Besides, what kind of man would I be if I let a vision of beauty like that out of my sight."

"A faithful one." Inuyasha said in a sarcastic jab at his lecherous friend.

* * *

"Are you sure I should be wearing something this flimsy?" Sango asked, picking up a sheer mesh and lace thong hanging up with some other assorted panties on the rack.

"If you want to. I mean, it's your body." Amy replied.

"I dunno, everything here is just so weird to me. If it's not see through, it has mountains of lace or random holes."

"Look at this one, it's basically a bikini bottom." Sango said, inspecting a red hi-cut panty with a string waist.

Sango groaned. "Ugh, why can't I just wear a normal cotton bra with normal cotton panties?"

She then picked up a white cotton bra with an all-over red strawberry print on it to prove her point. "Look, this one is cute, and it has an adorable strawberry print and it comes with matching panties."

Amy snatched the undergarments out of Sango's hand. "Because matching strawberry print bra and panty sets aren't sexy, Sango. Look, do you want Miroku to ravish you or not?" Amy huffed. "Here, let me help you. Show me the bras you picked out."

Sango reached into her shopping bag and handed Amy the two bras she picked out. One was a sheer lace black demi-cup bra with a small rhinestone centered bow in the front and the other was an unlined pale pink satin bra with a lace overlay.

"Now these I can work with!" Amy exclaimed.

Sango watched as Amy went through the panty rack and picked out two panties that matched the bras. "Here." she said, tossing the undergarments Sango's way.

Sango inspected the black panty noticing right off the bat that like the bra, the lace on it was completely sheer. She made an embarrassed face that made Amy giggle.

Amy consoled her embarrassed friend. "Just, try not to think about it too hard okay. Besides, you're going to love how well the lace breathes down there."

"Also, don't look now but we have an audience in the window." Amy whispered in Sango's ear.

"It's probably just Kagome and Riley."

"No, it's your boyfriend and some other really cute guy with long hair. Weird clothes on him though. Must be foreign."

Sango gasped, panties still in hand. "You mean Miroku is here?"

"Yeah, and by the looks of it. He's checking you out pretty hard."

Sango was puzzled for a minute until she realized she forgot to tie a hairbow on her ponytail this morning. No wonder Miroku was gawking at her through the window, he probably thought she was a random mall chick.

Although peeved that Miroku would just stare at women through a window like that, Sango was slightly relieved that it was at least her and not some random woman. "Well, **I** think I'm ready to check out. Let's go Amy." Sango said in a snappy tone as she tossed the panty in the basket with the rest of her stuff.

* * *

Miroku watched as the woman threw the racy undergarment in her basket. "Hello, black panties." he smirked.

Inuyasha tapped Miroku on the shoulder. "Hey, Elvis. Is it just me or does she have the same hairstyle that Sango has?"

Upon closer inspection, Miroku did notice that the girl indeed wore her hair in the same style of high-ponytail Sango sometimes sported. "Now that you mention it, she does. Same haircolor too. But there's no bow tied to it so it's probably just a coincidence."

"Wait, I think she's about to check out. Get over here Inuyasha." Miroku barked, making a hand motion for Inuyasha to come closer so they could see the big reveal.

Both men watched in anticipation as the mystery girl brought her purchases to the counter. When she finally turned around so the guys could see her face, Miroku saw a very familiar pair of brown eyes stare back at him. He tried to make a break for it but the woman had caught up to him, grabbing him by his leather jacket collar.

"Enjoy the view, Miroku?" Sango questioned with slightly irked undertone to her voice.

Miroku turned around to face his girlfriend. Beads of sweat accompanied by what could only be described as an unholy alliance of fear and embarrassment trickled down his face. "I-it's not what you think, Inuyasha and I were just passing by that's all."

"Don't drag me into your perverted antics, I'm out." Inuyasha grumbled as he walked off from the bickering lovebirds.

Sango crossed her arms. "You're lying. You were checking out random women again weren't you?"

"No, I was checking you out. Oh Sango, surely you realize that your body is the only body for me." Miroku grinned, playfully rubbing his cheek against the back of her hand.

Sango pulled her hand back. "Yeah, yeah. Just don't make a habit of it when I'm not around."

"What are you guys doing here anyways? I thought you said you had to work today."

Miroku shook his head. "Nope, I'm off. I'm here because Rin wanted to go shopping with her friends. But the big question is what are _you_ doing here?"

Sango tucked her small shopping bag from Scarlet's Whisper into one of the larger ones at her side. "Well, I was at the bookstore with Kagome but Kohaku asked me to drive him here so he could ask a classmate out and now I think they're on some kind of spur-of-the-moment date."

Miroku's eyes widened. "Really? Go, Kohaku. I didn't think he had it in him."

"By the way, do you hear a beeping noise?"

Sango reached down into the hobo-bag style purse at her side for the pager her dad lent her. "That would be me. I think Kohaku is ready to go. I should probably also find Kagome too. She and Riley wandered off somewhere while Amy and I were shopping around for underwear."

Miroku sighed. "Yeah, I should probably go find Inuyasha too before he scares some kid with that wooden prop sword of his."

Miroku draped his arm around Sango's shoulder. "I saw what you bought in there. Is there any chance you'll model it for me this weekend?" Miroku asked with a perverted smirk on his face.

"Who knows, perhaps I'll keep it a mystery." Sango teased, lifting his arm off her shoulder.

"We haven't even left yet and already you're wounding me." Miroku joked. "Help me Sango, I'm dying." He squealed feigning an injury on his knees.

"Throat..closing...I need mouth to mouth resuscitation, stat." Miroku coughed, pursing his lips into a kissy face.

Sango smirked, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend's over-the-top theatrics. "Get up Miroku." She pleaded, trying to lift him off the ground. As Miroku played possum, she bent over and gave him a quick kiss.

"I'm cured! Hallelujah, It's a miracle!" Miroku proclaimed, rising back on his feet like a paid actor on one of those late-night televangelist programs.

"You dork." Sango muttered, playfully shoving her boyfriend with her left elbow.

* * *

Miroku and Sango walked around together for a bit, each looking out for their respective missing parties. As they paced around the mall, Miroku felt Sango grab a hold of his gloved hand. Miroku knew that normally, Sango wouldn't be so bold with her intimacy towards him in public but something came over her during their walk. And when her fingers intertwined with his, she gave him what could only be described as the look that would forever melt his heart. It was bashful, yet undeniably sultry. He could have sworn there was an extra twinkle in her eyes as the apples of her cheeks flushed a faint shade of pink that matched the color of her pert, slightly parted, lips.

Miroku squeezed her hand back as he softly kissed the ridge of her knuckles, returning the smile in the process. Is this what real romance felt like? He had only known Sango for a little less than a year and yet he felt connected to her on a level that he never thought was possible. Despite the prolonged distance between them, his love for her never faded. In fact, the yearning to be with her only grew stronger. Usually at this point, his mind would think about what he would do to her in the sheets but for some reason he felt content with thinking about how nice it would feel to hold her in his arms for a while instead. He thought about the upcoming trip, he didn't know what would be in store for the two of him but the one thought that raced through his mind was that it would definitely be unforgettable. That was a promise.

Miroku stopped walking when the two of them came up on a photo booth near the Mall's family portrait studio.

"Do you think Kohaku, Inu, and Kagome would mind if we took a small detour from our search? I kind of want a picture of us for my wallet." Miroku asked, staring in the direction of the photo booth.

Sango shrugged. "I don't think they would mind if we were a little late. Hold on, I think I have about a dollar's worth of quarters in my purse." Sango said as she dug around in her bag. "Found them!" She exclaimed.

Miroku took the quarters from her hand, putting each one in the coin slot of the booth, he then pressed the green start button on the inside, pulling her in next to him on the bench. Even though neither one of them was ready when the flash went off, the very first picture on the small strip of film was without a doubt the best one.

* * *

 **[A/N]** I apologize for the huge delay. I was (and still am) on fandom hiatus for the last couple of months due to more personal stuff piling up on me. But I hope I can find the time to work on this story a little more in the future. I may start a second mir/san longfic although I'm debating on whether or not I will draft it out now or wait until I officially come out of hiatus everywhere else. And as a bonus for being so late with this, I added in extra mir/san fluff. So if you're a fluff fanatic like me, you probably enjoyed this chapter. At least I hope you did. Thanks for reading!

 **80'S Slang/General Glossary**

A brief note about the significance of "black panties." Back in the day, it was common to assume that if a girl was to buy or wear black lingerie, specifically black panties it meant that she was sexually active or at least going to be really soon. This is why Miroku got excited when sango bought black lingerie.

 **Koozbane –** slang term that was commonly used to describe anyone who was part of an alternative subculture or at least looked the part. For example. Punks, goths, and New Wave fans.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **J. Geils Band - Centrefold**

 **Jackson Browne - Somebody's Baby  
**


	21. Weekend At Mushin's Part 1

Chapter 21 – Weekend At Mushin's - Part 1

 **Eaton, California. December 31st 1985.**

Miroku turned the radio down in the Camaro as he turned down a winding mountain road. In about five minutes he'd arrive at Mushin's place. The drive had taken a lot longer than last time he visited, he suspected it had something to do with New Years since the traffic coming out of San Francisco was absolutely terrible. Usually, it was a forty-five minute drive from San Francisco to Eaton, but to Miroku it felt more like an hour and forty five minutes. Not only was traffic a nightmare, things had changed a helluva lot since the last time he had visited. For starters, Instead of the many pear trees at the Yancy family pear farm, the land at the base of the mountain was now a winter resort filled with happy winter vacationers tackling slopes and riding along on ski-lifts. The new resort was positively mammoth in size and it was a wonder that the resort hadn't bought out Mushin's quaint little inn and the sake brewery in an effort to aquire all of the mountain. Especially since if given the right amount of cash, Miroku's uncle would have signed over his own life if he could. Although incredibly kind, Mushin had a tendency to see dollar signs above anything else. Maybe the brewery really meant that much to him.

It had only been three years since Miroku was last at Mushin's place but the sights and smells of the pear orchard and freshly tilled soil seemed but a distant memory. Miroku glanced over at his girlfriend sound asleep in the passenger's seat. Sango had been sound asleep for a good three hours since the last pit stop. He moved a strand of hair from out of her face. Miroku then fiddled around in his pocket for the small gift box that held the main reason he wanted to bring Sango along. He knew she would return to school in the following week so she wouldn't be able to celebrate her own birthday with with her friends and family. When Sango told him the bad news over the phone before Christmas, she seemed very upset because this would be the first year she would be so far away. Sadly he wouldn't be able to give her a gift unless he mailed it, but there was nothing romantic about that.

Miroku eased up on the gas as he made the turn into the gravel parking lot of the inn. Like usual, the parking lot was fairly empty. Sometimes he wondered why Mushin kept this place running if not for tax purposes only. Surely he wasn't breaking even since the place was always dead. Placing the car in park, Miroku carefully nudged Sango to let her know that they made it. "Why'd we stop?" Sango groggily asked through a yawn.

"We're here." Miroku chirped as he unlocked the car doors. He reached into the backseat to grab the luggage. Sango yawned again, stepping out of the Camaro to stretch her limbs. She felt oddly relaxed as she took in the crisp mountain air, even though it was damn near freezing outside. Fresh snow covered the many redwood and evergreen trees in a blanket of white. Miroku led the way into the resort. For a spa, Sango expected more than a few cabins. There was a larger more-ornate building in front of the cabins, with very traditional stylings in the architecture. Sango could only assume that was the spa. Behind the spa and cabins was another Japanese style house, this one a lot bigger and kind of resembled a temple in a way. Out in the distance she could see a Silo of some sort peeking it's head out of the clouds. "What's that?" she asked, pointing to the silo.

"My uncle Mushin's life's work." Miroku responded. "Remember the sake I brought to your house at the Christmas party. Well, that is where it comes from."

"I see, so who owns the inn then?" Sango asked.

"Mushin. But I think the spa is more of a tax rideoff for the brewery than anything else. See how dead it is, this is the norm. But if you ever wanted to go to an actual onsen, this is probably the closest thing without dropping down some major cash on a flight to Japan." Miroku explained as he led the way down the path to the bath house.

As they stepped on the pond bridge leading to the bath house, Sango looked over the railing. She stopped for a minute to look at a school of large koi fish swimming underneath the thin, transparent, layer of ice in the decorative pond.

Aside from the cabins looking fairly modern it seemed like Miroku's uncle poured a lot of work and careful craftsmanship into his spa. If Sango wasn't certain this was Northern California, she would have thought that she and Miroku had travelled to some remote mountain onsen in Japan. As Sango followed Miroku into the lobby she realized the outside was only a small taste of the traditionalist atmosphere that awaited her.

* * *

"Irrashaimase!" A kimono-clad woman greeted them as they walked into the lobby of the bath house. Sango observed the inside of the inn even closer. Like Miroku's house there was an attention to detail with the statues, scrolls, and paintings. The lobby had a giant bamboo plant near the receptionist desk on one side and a beautiful orchid on the other. Really the only things out of place in the lobby were an antique green victorian sofa with matching chairs and coffee table in the corner near the desk. There was also a TV mounted above the aforementioned furniture. An episode of Young and the Restless was silently running on the TV. Sango noticed two more kimono-clad women standing beside the desk, whispering amongst themselves. The receptionist behind the desk was a younger girl, possibly a little older than Kohaku. Like the other women in the inn, she was also dressed up in a kimono. Her short black hair was styled in an asymmetrical bob haircut with two long tendrils of hair in front of her pierced ears. A wide, blue, grosgrain ribbon hairband kept her dark tresses neat and tidy. The girl lazily doodled hearts with the initials K+M in a notebook, not really paying attention to Miroku and Sango's arrival...or anything else for that matter.

Miroku approached the receptionist. Her name was Koharu and she was the middle daughter of Marimo, the spa's manager. In the three years since he last visited Mushin, puberty hit the girl and it hit her hard. She must have been around fifteen now and looked like a young lady and not the little freckle-faced girl he once knew. He tapped on the desk to get her attention.

"My, you certainly have gotten cuter since the last time I saw you, Koharu."

Koharu looked up to see a familiar pair of steely blue-violet eyes staring back at her. Blushing furiously, she scrambled to shut the notebook when she realized who it was. A starry-eyed look spread across her freckled face. "Miroku, you're back!" she exclaimed, running out from behind the desk to give her favorite person a hug.

Miroku chuckled as the girl embraced him. "I'm glad to see you too Koharu! I would pick you up but you've grown up so much since the last time I saw you it would be awkward."

"So, are you filling in for your mom today?"

Koharu nodded. "Yep, mom's out running some errarnds. Yuki was supposed to be watching the desk but you know how lazy she is."

Koharu looked around the room for the usual guests that accompanied Miroku, but no members of Mystic Lyzzard were anywhere in sight. "Miroku, are you on vacation alone?"

Miroku shook his head. "No, I brought someone else this time."

Koharu looked around the lobby, there were no other men around. Only a girl standing beside Miroku. Koharu could feel her heart rip apart. There was no way he'd ever see her as nothing more than a child now. Even though she knew Miroku was a lot older than her, that never stopped her from crushing on him. It was bad enough that she already had to compete with her older sister, Yuki, for Miroku's attention. Granted, Yuki used to only flirt with Miroku to con him into giving her and her friends rides into the city. But now it seemed that Miroku had an actual girlfriend this time. Koharu studied the young woman. Whoever she was, she was very pretty with fair skin, shiny long chestnut brown hair, and had the one thing that Koharu lacked; boobs. The reason why Koharu insisted on wearing a kimono and makeup today was because she heard Miroku was arriving and it would make her look more mature and princess-like despite being flat chested. Not that it mattered now, compared to this girl Koharu didn't feel at all like a princess anymore.

"Koharu, this is my girlfriend, Sango." Miroku said, introducing Sango to the young girl.

"Hello." Sango politely waved. A chill ran down her spine as Koharu smiled back, but instead of a warm welcome, she was met with a vitriolic smile full of spite.

"So, anyways. You got the usual cabin reserved for me right?" Miroku asked Koharu.

Koharu reached under the desk and pulled out a large green binder. She flipped through the pages, finding the reservations and where Miroku was on the list. Koharu searched the binder frantically but she couldn't find anything about a reservation made by Miroku. In fact all the cabins seemed to have been booked up until the end of the next week.

"I'm sorry Miroku, but it seems we're all booked up for the next week."

Miroku scratched his head. "But we're the only ones here. Who on earth could have booked eight cabins?"

"They might have." Koharu said as she pointed to a large bus that in the parking lot. As the door to the bus creaked open Miroku and Sango looked on as each passenger exited. They were all women. About sixteen in total and each wearing a pink shirt with the female symbol and the words 'Daughters of Athena' above it in bold letters.

As the bus unloaded, a portly, elderly, mustachioed man with rosy cheeks sprinted past Miroku and Sango. Straightening his yukata, he opened the door to let the women in. The first woman who came in the door was about six foot even and muscular. Her short dyed black hair had grey peppered throughout it and underneath her aviators her thin lips were fixed a permanent scowl.

"Ah, you must be Gladys." the man proclaimed. "We're so happy to host your women's retreat again this year. Please sign in with Koharu-chan at the desk and I'll have one of the other girls show you to your rooms."

"And you must be the owner, Mushin. I was told that this would be a women's only resort. Is that not correct?" Gladys spat as she shifted her cold stare to Miroku standing by the desk.

"We usually get couples here to vacation but I'm sure Marimo-san assured you that there will be no male guests this week since your retreat has booked every cabin and spa package we have avaliable." Mushin replied.

"What about him?" Gladys pointed to Miroku.

"He is my nephew and he will be nowhere near the retreat during your stay as he will be staying in my home across the way." Mushin assured, handing a large envelope of cabin keys to the woman.

"Good." the woman snarled as she greedily grabbed the envelope of keys from Mushin.

Miroku and Sango watched as the woman headed back to the bus. And like clockwork the women outside gathered in a line as the one named 'Gladys' paced back and forth, giving orders. The women then got down on the ground to do pushups.

"Well, they seem kind of...intense." Miroku said, still watching the women outside exercise in the parking lot.

"They usually are." Mushin commented. "Every year to get a headstart on New Years resolutions, The Daughters of Athena rent the facilities out for an entire week. I'm sorry I forgot to mention it to you, nephew. It completely slipped my mind."

"Excuse us for one minue, Sango." Miroku said with a false grin as he led his uncle to the corner of the lobby.

Frustrated, he let out a groan. "So now what are Sango and I supposed to do? I promised her a weekend of relaxation."

Mushin nodded. "And she will get it. But unfortunately...you won't be able to partake with her this time."

"And why the Hell not?" Miroku angirly spat.

Mushin cleared his throat. "The bootcamp has a no-men-allowed rule. These women pay good money to rent out the place and it's my duty to make sure every last one of them is satisfied with the facilites."

"What about the hot-spring, Old Man." Miroku gritted through his teeth.

Mushin sighed. "They rented that out too."

Miroku nearly sank to the floor, thinking about how his romantic weekend was over before it even began. Suddenly a sly grin spread across his face. He quickly got back upon his feet. "Well, I guess we will have to go to that nice resort at the bottom of the mountain instead. I heard they have not one but three different spas, with an indoor heated pool. Come on Sango, let's get in the car."

"Wait, wait." Mushin pleaded. "O kay, you can have access to the spring together, but only after 11PM when the other guests are asleep."

Mushin reached into his pocket, handing Miroku a key to the gate at the large outdoor spring. "I don't even know why you're playing hardball like this. I'm not even charging you to stay here. You're just like your father, always wanting to bust my chops. Now do me a favor and introduce me to the pretty young lady standing beside you already."

Miroku cleared his throat, introducing Sango to his uncle. "Mushin, this is my girlfriend Sango Sato."

Sango bowed. "Hello, Mushin-san. Thank you for letting Miroku and I stay here for the weekend."

"Wow! beautiful and good manners." Mushin jabbed Miroku in the shoulder. "What the heck are you doing with a scoundrel like him then?"

Miroku glared at his uncle.

"He wore me down." Sango replied with an exasperated grin on her face. She then gave Miroku a peck on the cheek. "I'm going to go get the rest of the luggage from the car, okay. I'll be right back."

Miroku stopped her. "Wait, I'll go with you."

"No-no, I got this. Besides, you should probably visit more with your uncle."

Miroku and his uncle watched as Sango walked towards the door. Her cheeks blushed a faint pink as she glanced back at her boyfriend before stepping out. Miroku scratched his head, It was unusual for Sango to be so bubbly around strangers but he assumed it had something to do with Mushin complimenting her beauty.

Mushin schooched closer to his nephew. "So, when's the wedding?"

"You've been talking to my parents haven't you?" Miroku snorted. He knew Mushin would ask him something like that first thing.

"So you haven't asked her to marry you? Nephew, I am shocked and apalled you'd lead a lovely young lady on like that!"

"And your point is...old man."

Mushin cleared his throat. "I'm saying that it's very rare to find a classical beauty like Sango-chan on this side of the Pacific. Most men have to go through an omiai to find a woman like her. A true 'Yamato Nadeshiko' if I do say so myself."

Pondering Mushin's 'Yamato Nadeshiko' comment, Miroku found himself lost in thought. Were girls like Sango really all that rare? He began to fantasize about himself and Sango in a classic Japanese mansion. Sango would have her hair up, dressed in an elegant kimono as she began to pour tea into his cup. Perhaps a strand of hair would come loose and rest upon the back of her graceful and slender neck. Then she would look at him with those big soft brown eyes. Her smile would be bashful yet confident, like she knew what he wanted and was more than willing to give it to him. A rosy hue would flush across her cheeks when he would set the cup of tea aside. He would run his fingertips over her flushed cheeks bringing her closer to him; their lips just barely touching one another. Then he would make his move as he kissed her passionately, lowering her down onto the floor in a sweet embrace. Miroku felt his palms go sweaty. Surprisingly, he had never really given much thought about Sango's beauty and personality in a traditional sense but Dear Sweet Buddha and the Gods of creation was it ever a turn-on for him.

Mushin abruptly interrupted Miroku's daydream. "Mind telling me where you two met? She certainly doesn't look like the any of your previous girlfriends."

Embarrassed, Miroku rubbed the back of his head. Silent Pines certainly wasn't a grand mansion like in his fantasy. "A rehab clinic." He sheepishly blurted out.

Mushin gasped. "You're kidding! Is she a junkie?"

"What, No! She was working there for academic volunteer hours. Actually we seemed to hit it off when I later found out that she lived in the same subdivision. I assure you, Sango is not on drugs."

Mushin chuckled. "I don't know about that, she is dating you after all."

Irritated, Miroku slugged Mushin on his chrome dome. "I warned you, old man."

"So you have." Mushin sighed as he rubbed the newly-formed knot on his scalp.

Just then, Sango returned to the lobby with the last of the luggage. She handed the heavier bag to Miroku. "So, where are we staying?"

* * *

On the opposite side of the spa and the outdoor hot spring, Mushin led Miroku and Sango to another traditionally-styled building. Similar to the spa there was another koi pond, this one even bigger and another bridge that stretched across it. Sango looked down to see this pond was also frozen over. A grove of barren cherry blossom trees, tall solar lamps, and ornamental grasses framed the area. Sango could only imagine how beautiful the scenery at Mushin's home would be when everything was in full bloom. After the bridge there was a set of steps that led to the outdoor covered walkway.

On the way to the room, Mushin explained to Sango that the property on which his house resided on was a 19th century Buddhist temple built by Chinese immigrants that was abandoned sometime in the twenties. By the time Mushin found it for sale, all that was left was a dilapidated termite-infested walkway and a crumbling half-standing building with most of the ornamental decorations and statues stripped by looters. Mushin bought the bare-bones property for dirt cheap in '63 and restored most of it to use as his house. He later found the natural hot springs while digging land for a garden and opened up the onsen and later, the distillery. Mushin also mentioned that he was the first in a long line of Inn-keepers that decided to bring the world of the traditional Japanese onsen experience abroad, though his success rate was less than stellar. Lucky for Mushin, his sake brewery kept him comfortably wealthy.

As Sango walked up the stairs she noticed ornate statues resided on almost every corner of the winding walkway. Sango watched as Mushin carefully removed his geta sandals before stepping onto the walkway. She and Miroku did the same with their boots. Mushin led them down the hallway to a room with a sliding shoji door. He slid the door open and revealed a large room with an enormous antique Buddha statue. The smell of freshly lit sandalwood incense permeated the room.

Mushin cleared his throat. "This is usually my meditation room, but in a pinch it can act as a guest room."

Sango walked up to the giant stone statue. "This Buddha, Is it from the original temple? It looks very old."

Mushin turned to face her. "Actually, yes. Ironically it was the one statue that the looters did not steal. Probably because it's too heavy to lift without a pickup truck and a forklift. Either way, I'm glad they didn't take it because it is one of my most cherished possessions."

Sango and Miroku watched as Mushin walked to the mahogany closet. Sliding the door open, he revealed a few neatly-stacked large futon mattresses. "I don't have a western style bed in here but I hope these will suffice for the next few nights. I'll have Koharu bring some extra blankets and pillows in after Marimo gets back. The central heat doesn't work too well in here but there is a built in fireplace in the middle of the floor." Mushin explained.

Mushin turned his focus on Sango. "I apologize we don't have a better guest room. Marimo and her daughters are renting out the add-on behind the house, and my son Hatchi and his wife are in the big guest room for the time being."

"Wait. Hatchi is married? When the hell did that happen?" Miroku interjected.

Mushin closed the closet. "two years ago. You remember my good friend Yuri right?"

"The Russian Mobster? Yeah I remember him."

Mushin groaned. "For the last time, Yuri Dorokhov is not involved in the Russian Mob. He is a simple vodka distiller from Sacramento."

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because it's a front for the Russian Mob."

Mushin Continued. "Anyways, Yuri's niece, Oksana, needed to get out of Moscow so he and I arranged a marriage for Hatchi to get her into the country. We thought they were going to get divorced once the paperwork went through but they actually hit it off and decided to stay married." Mushin reached into the sleeve of his yukata for his wallet. "Here is a picture of the wedding."

Miroku took the picture. His eyes widened when he saw the woman on Hatchi's stubby arm. Instead of the homely, desperate, woman he imagined would marry a schlub like Hatchi, Oksana was a total babe with supermodel proportions, shoulder-length voluminous, permed blonde hair, sun-kissed skin, and bright green eyes. Hatchi on the other hand was short and rotund with a bald-spot at the top of his head, tired raccoon-like eyes concealed by coke bottle glasses, and a peach fuzz moustache.

"Wow, Is she a model?" Sango asked.

Mushin placed the picture back into the wallet. "Actually, yes but she took a break when she married my Hatchi. But she does plan on getting more work once they move to Los Angeles in the spring. Unfortunately, Hatchi and Oksana won't be joining us this evening since they're in the city for the weekend. Anyways, You two should get unpacked as soon as possible. Dinner should be ready in an hour and between Myself and the girls, Marimo's delicious cooking goes fast."

Mushin then exited the room, sliding the door behind him once again.

"I'm going to go take a leak." Miroku said as he placed the last of the luggage by the closet. "You going to be alright here for a moment?"

Sango nodded. "Yeah, I'm just going to unpack a few things."

Seconds after Miroku left the room, Koharu entered with the stack of blankets and pillows in hand. "I got the blankets and pillows, Miroku." she said.

"Thank you so much, Koharu!" Sango said as she reached out for the stack.

A scowl crept across Koharu's face when she realized that only Sango was in the room and not her beloved Miroku. Instead of handing Sango the bedding supplies, she dropped them on the floor, leaving the room in a huff. Confused, Sango picked up the bedding supplies to re-fold them. She had a pretty good feeling that Koharu didn't like her all that much.

* * *

Back at home, Inuyasha was having an experience of a different sort. Somehow or another, Chieko had let Sango's friend Kagome in. He didn't invite the girl over, in fact he thought of her as more of a nuisance than anything else. However, when Chieko saw the Rolls Royce in the driveway she insisted that Kagome make herself at home. For thirty minutes Inuyasha had to listen to Chieko ramble on to Kagome about how it was so nice that he had 'found' such a lovely young girlfriend. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, Chieko was so transparent. She obviously wanted to pawn him on the wealthy Kagome so that her family could get something out of it in return. Like Hell, they would. Inuyasha had no intention of ever dating the airheaded wannabe Nancy Drew. Even if she was richer than the Mayor of San Diego, Kagome wasn't anything like his Kikyo. She was totally un-cute and asked way too many damn questions. And as he and Kevin tried to take a nap in Miroku's room he hoped the pothead stench would drive the unwanted goody-goody guest away. He was unfortunately, wrong on all accounts.

"Would ya stop starin' already?" Inuyasha barked as Kagome scribbled something else in her notebook.

Kagome shook her head. "Nope, not until you answer my question. Do you remember anything about the night your father, Taisho Takano was killed?"

Inuyasha crashed his head on Miroku's pillow. "Look, I already told you. He died in a car crash before I was even born. What does this even have to do with anything?"

Kagome slammed her notebook down. "It has a lot to do with everything okay! Jeez, if you would just cooperate with me."

Frustrated, Kagome struggled to explain her motive. "All of my research shows that the Billionare killer had his first successful kill the night Taisho Takano died. I just want to know if it was a car crash or was he the Billionaire killer's actual first victim."

Inuyasha jerked his head up from the pillow. "I don't know about no fuckin' billionaire killer. Now would ya please let me nap in peace." he grumbled, rolling over on his side.

Kagome flipped through her other notebook, Inuyasha wasn't making this easy for her at all, but she was certain that she would squeeze some information out of him. In light of new research, she noticed a pattern in the killing style of the elusive 'Billionaire Killer' and one Naraku Onigumo aka 'The Hell Spider'. But clearly, they couldn't be one in the same because Naraku was on death row in a maximum security prison somewhere in Texas when the Billionaire Killer continued to murder. But the strange thing was that all of the homicides seemed to have Naraku's trademark spider carved on the back of the victim's corpse. Was the Billionaire killer nothing more than a copycat trying to throw the authorities off or was the Naraku currently locked away not really Naraku at all?

Kagome remembered in her research of Inuyasha's past that his mother was also found mutilated and carved with a spider on her back. Scribbled in blood, on her naked breasts were the characters for Inuyasha's name and the word _'KILL'._ She scratched her head. If the killer meant to kill Inuyasha and missed, did he go after his mother as a warning? But where did that leave Kikyo; Inuyasha's murdered ex-girlfriend, in the equation. Was she also killed to mess with Inuyasha or was there another motive? Not to mention, Naraku's attack on Sango's family as well. Was it all intertwined somehow?

"Tell me about Kikyo. What was she like?"

Inuyasha jolted from the bed. "How do you know about Kikyo? I never mentioned her to anyone except Miroku."

Kagome tried to hold back a snort. "I'm a sleuth, digging up information on people is what I do. Now, will you tell me about Kikyo?"

Inuyasha grumbled. "I shouldn't be doing this but you're so damn nosy you could probably figure it out yourself. Anyways, Kikyo was my everything."

Kagome sat and listened as Inuyasha told the story of his and Kikyo's relationship and how they met as kids, she older than him by six years . They grew up together in the same apartment complex, seperated by one wall. Kikyo had lost her mom as a kid and ended up being a motherly figure to her younger sister Kaede while their dad worked overseas.

Inuyasha in his childhood looked up to Kikyo a lot and as he reached adolescence, instead of seeing Kikyo as a mentor figure, he realized he had fallen deeply in love with her. Kikyo, of course, reciporated his feelings. She even went all the way with him when he was just fourteen. As the years passed, Inuyasha saw the way Kikyo went from a sweet, caring, girl, to a cold, aloof, teenager. Upon entering high school, Kikyo became what was known as a yankee, or delinquent. In no time at all, she had formed her own girl gang and was the defacto leader. Wanting to be like his Kikyo, Inuyasha also fell into that same lifestyle, he too became a delinquent. He learned how to hot-wire cars and motorbikes from her and how to fight rival gangs with pretty much anything not nailed down. Wooden swords or baseball bats were his weapons of choice. He also learned how to hide drugs on his person and where to sell said drugs. In the world of teenage delinquent drug-dealing; pot was good, but cocaine was king, and Kikyo always had the good stuff. Between the two of them, it was nonstop hustling in the daytime and pure hedonism at night. Unfortunately, for Kikyo, the delinquent lifestyle would ultimately be her downfall.

Inuyasha further explained that even though he didn't know how she died but he suspected that she was murdered by some low-level Yakuza members over drug distribution. One thing was for damn sure, she didn't die of natural causes.

Kagome scribbled the last of Inuyasha's tale in her notebook. She tried not to get too emotional as tears welled in her eyes. Inuyasha's story was so soul-crushingly sad to the sheltered teen that she couldn't even fathom anyone living the kind of rough life that he and Kikyo lived.

Inuyasha crouched down to take a good look at Kagome, noticing that she indeed was holding back tears. "Are you crying?"

Frantically, Kagome shoved her notebooks in the oversized yellow backpack she brought along with her. "I-I think that's all for today. Thank you for your cooperation, Inuyasha."

"You're wel...come" Inuyasha responded, but it was too late, the goofy girl had already bolted down the stairs.

Inuyasha sat down on the bed, tossing one of Miroku's plastic mini skull decorations in the air. He realized that not since Kikyo, has any girl ever cried for him, until now at least. Maybe there was more to the Higurashi chick than an annoying rich girl playing detective. Inuyasha sat the skull in it's original place on the clock radio. He yawned, it was about time for that nap again.

* * *

Dinnertime was awkward for Sango, despite Marimo's fantastic cooking. She couldn't shake the feeling that she did something to piss Koharu off. During the duration of the entire meal, she could feel Koharu mad-dogging the crap out of her from across the table. The only time Koharu wasn't mad-dogging her was when Miroku asked her to do something like pass the pickles. It seemed like every time Miroku showed her any attention whatsoever, the girl's attitude took a complete turn into the opposite of what Sango experienced. Sango slowly scooped out the last bit of rice left in her bowl. She glanced over at Miroku who was busy in dinnertime conversation with Mushin, Marimo, and Marimo's three other daughters; Yuki, Erika, and Sanae.

Marimo was an interesting woman, she was around the same age as Mushin but looked much younger, The only thing giving away her age were the gray streaks in her hair and the crows feet at the corner of her almond-shaped eyes. Then there were her daughters; tall and graceful Sanae at twenty-two was the oldest and a college senior about to graduate with a degree in accounting. If anyone resembled Marimo the most, it was her. With her long, shiny raven-hair, alabaster skin, and pouty lips, she was definitely very pretty.

Yuki was the second oldest at eighteen and for the most part, a natural born smart-aleck. Opposite from Sanae who was prim and proper, Yuki was a rebel with a bronze beach-babe complexion, highly-teased dyed platinum blonde hair, and thick eyeliner. She wore an oversized white off-shoulder Poison band shirt, neon green hoop earrings, plastic black and neon pink bangles that stretched almost all the way up her forearm, and acid washed jeans with huge strategically placed tears near the crotch. Sitting backwards in her chair she looked incredibly bored. Sango took another good look at the girl. If any one of the sisters at the table seemed like Miroku's 'type' Yuki was definitely it.

Then there was thirteen year old Erika, the baby of the family. A tomboy of sorts with a short haircut concealed by a blue Tazmanian Devil baseball cap. Underneath her baggy denim carpenter overalls was a well-concealed Oakland Raiders sweatshirt. Although the youngest out of Koharu's sisters, she was also the most well-endowed even though she wore baggy clothes in an attempt to hide her blossoming figure.

Sango took another glance at Marimo's family, including the matronly Marimo herself. She then started to realize why Mushin let them rent out the spare house. Like his nephew, Mushin was very much a pervert and surrounded by a family of pretty and single women must have felt like paradise. No wonder the old fart was so quick to compliment her beauty back in the lobby. As dinner went on, Sango didn't really pay attention to the conversation at hand, her mind was still focused on what she could have done to Koharu to make her so mad. Sango had just met the girl and barely spoke a word to her and yet Koharu acted like she had the plague. Suddenly, Sango felt Miroku's hand clasp hers under the table.

"Is something the matter, Sango?" Miroku asked, a little bit worried that he hadn't heard a single peep from his girlfriend during dinner's conversation.

Sango shook her head. "It's nothing, I was just thinking about someone."

"Was it me?" Miroku flirted. He brought her hand to his lips, kissing the ridge of her knuckle.

Sango pulled her hand back. "You wish!" she playfully taunted.

Koharu slumped in her seat. There it was again, that look on Miroku's face as he openly flirted with his girlfriend at the table. He never smiled at her like that but how she wished that he would. Koharu gathered up everything around her plate as she rose from her seat. "May I be excused?" She asked her mother in a huffy tone.

"Koharu dear, what's wrong? You didn't even touch your pork." Marimo responded.

Koharu angrily scooted her seat under the table. "Nothing, I just lost my appetite."

The dinner table fell silent as the brooding teenager left the dining room.

"Jeez, what a drama queen." Yuki mumbled inbetween bites of rice.

"Yuki!" Marimo scolded.

"What? It's true. She always has to ruin dinner with her mood swings." Yuki retorted.

Sango stayed silent for the remainder of dinnertime. Somehow, she felt that she was the reason for Koharu's outburst. She honestly felt sorry for the girl, but still had no idea why Koharu harbored so much spite towards her. Then it dawned on her. Koharu was jealous. And Sango was the target of that jealousy because she had one thing that Koharu didn't; Miroku's undivided attention.

* * *

After dinner, Sango joined Miroku and Mushin in the meditation room for some tea. Marimo and her daughters had all gone to bed for the night giving the couple some time to relax and visit with Miroku's uncle. The fireplace in the middle of the floor heated a water kettle. When the water was finished boiling, Mushin poured it in a seperate teapot over some loose leaf chamomile and jasmine tea. He filled up three cups. Miroku and Sango both took one.

Mushin took a sip of his tea. "So, nephew. Let me see your palm."

"How did I know you were going to ask that?" Miroku groaned as he slid off his fingerless glove. "Make it quick old-man."

"What's wrong with his hand?" Sango asked.

Mushin looked at her, dumbfounded. "You mean he hasn't told you about the Hoshima curse? Miroku, just what kind of boyfriend are you?"

"A sane one that doesn't dwell on curses that may or may not exist." Miroku responded.

Sango's eyes narrowed. "No, he told me but I was positive Miroku was joking about the whole 'cursed hand' thing. It all sounded too ridiculous to be real."

"You would be right, Sango." Miroku interjected. "But this old coot is still convinced that the family is somehow cursed."

Mushin studied the birthmark on Miroku's palm. "Just as I thought, It did get bigger. Oh dear."

"What got bigger? You mean his birthmark?" Sango questioned, as she scooted closer to Miroku to get a good look.

Mushin shook his head. "That's not a birthmark, it's the Hoshima curse."

Miroku slid the glove back on his hand. "Sango, don't listen to him. It really is only a birthmark."

"If the curse isn't real, then what's that on your shoulder?" Mushin said, pointing to a small spider with purple spots on the lapel of Miroku's leather jacket.

Miroku took one look at the arachnid and immediately threw off his jacket while running towards the far corner of the room. He froze in a cold sweat. "Get that fucking thing away from me now, Mushin. I'm serious if it comes any closer, you're a dead man." The spider inched closer making him flinch.

Sango tried to hold back her laughter. She never thought Miroku would be such an arachnophobe.

"Relax nephew, it's only a toy. See?" Mushin said, as he pulled the spider closer to him revealing that it was a fake rubber spider on a thin, transparent, string of fishing line. Mad with embarrassment, Miroku stormed over to where Mushin was sitting and he bonked his prankster uncle on the head once again. He then sat down beside Sango once again to silently sip his tea.

Mushin cleared his throat. "Ahem. About the Hoshima curse, Sango-chan. Legend states that 500 years ago a spider youkai disguised as a beautiful maiden had an encounter with a brave and holy monk. Unfortunately, he could not exorcise the demon and it cursed him with a hole in his hand. A void that would suck everything up in it's path, they called it the Kazaana and it was a force to be reckoned with. For it would get bigger and bigger and then one day, swallow the monk whole. And it did.

Fifty years passed and the great, terrible, demon grew even stronger, but the descendant of that holy monk along with a travelling party of warriors geared up to take the demon down. That descendant was Miroku's ancestor and against all odds he and the warriors smited the demon and thus the curse was lifted. But as fate would have it, the remnants of the curse still lingered. For every Male that was born into the Hoshima family thereafter bore the same mark on the palm of their hand. This was no ordinary mark, as those who bore it would die a horrible and painful death. In 500 years, no Hoshima man has ever died from natural causes. Most people would say that we are prone to 'freak accidents' or are just unlucky. But I believe that it is the Spider Youkai's curse at work because Just before a Hoshima man would take his last breath, he would encounter a spider. But this would be no ordinary spider, this spider, although small would have purple spots on it's back. When a Hoshima man sees the spider, he knows that it would be the last thing he would ever see. The only way the curse can be truly broken for good is when the last living descendant of the demon that made the curse dies."

"And long-story short. Mushin once again spews ridiculous old-wives-tales that have no basis in reality." Miroku said in an irritated tone, sipping more of his tea.

"Didn't you say yourself that you believe that youkai once existed, Miroku?" Sango asked, her voice ripe with sarcasm. "You told me to be less skeptical. Remember?"

"Babe, Who's side are you on?" Miroku responded, annoyed that Sango would call him out on something he told her months ago when he was obviously playing the 'aloof mystic' schtick to get into her pants.

Mushin got up to stretch his legs. "If the curse isn't real, nephew, then how did your Jiji die?"

"Alzheimers. The fact that he was run over by a cabbage truck was pure coincidence." Miroku stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mushin sighed as he picked up the empty cups and tea kettle. He then poured the remainding water over the fire to snuff it out. "What ever helps you sleep at night dear nephew. You two take care now."

* * *

Moments later, the sliding door was closed and Mushin was gone. Miroku then began to lay down one of the futon mattresses. Sango helped him along by knocking the dust out of the linens and blankets. In no time at all the bed was made and Miroku couldn't help himself by being the first to fall asleep but not before kissing his girl goodnight. Sango quickly changed into her pajamas and crawled in bed next to him. Once again, they shared the same bed but she was still the only one up. Miroku was so tired that he didn't even change out of his clothes or undo the ponytail from his hair.

Wide awake, Sango grabbed the duffle bag with her clothes in it. Poking it's pink gift wrap out of the zipper was the shopping bag from Scarlet's Whisper. She ran her hand over the intricate black sheer lace of the bra and panty set. Come the next night alone with Miroku she wouldn't be a virgin anymore. The thought both made her excited and a little nervous at the same time. What would it feel like? She thought to herself. Would it be an intense rollercoaster of ecstasy and pleasure? Or would it be awkward and messy? So many thoughts raced in her head. "It's just sex. No big deal." she reassured herself. Sango shoved the bra back into the duffle bag. Although she didn't feel nearly as tired as her sound-asleep boyfriend. Sango eventually gave in as the futon was surprisingly more comfortable than she thought.

* * *

 **[A/N]** Stay tuned for the second part coming soon. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Worth the wait...

 **GLOSSARY OF TERMS:**

 **Onsen** – Hot Spring.

 **Omiai** – Old fashioned Arranged Marriage. More common in Mushin's heyday than Miroku's

 **Yamato Nadeshiko** – Traditional Japanese female beauty ideal. Look up the TV Tropes entry for more in-depth information.

 **Jjiji-** Grandfather.

 **MIX TAPE:**

 **The Go-Go's- Vacation**

 **Blondie – Heart of Glass**


End file.
